


Fair Weather

by darjeelinte



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Champions AU everyone is alive, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, M/M, PTSD, Pre-Calamity and then to Present-Calamity, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Side of salt with how young people are expected to be heroes and be happy about it, Slow Burn, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Worldbuilding, my city now MY CANON NOW, revali and link are childhood friends, rito raised link
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-02-10 02:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18650944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darjeelinte/pseuds/darjeelinte
Summary: Link is taken in by the Rito and grows up beside Revali. Their relationship furthers more in time, painstakingly restarting one hundred years in the future.This time, Link isn't left alone.





	1. A Hylian and a Rito

**Author's Note:**

> Hello quick note, I recently got a Nintendo switch and of course had to get Zelda: Breath of the Wild and I just fell deeply in love with the game. I haven’t finished the game yet but I have spoiled a lot of the cutscenes for myself (mostly Revali) but I have a somewhat okay grasp on how the other characters are. I haven’t completed everything but I do know the gist of the levels and will briefly describe maybe a few fight scenes if need be. This will be divided into two sections: pre-canon/canon divergent and then it branches off. The first section is pre-canon and builds up Revali’s and Links relationship before it goes to the main storyline. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy and hopefully, I will continue this even during finals week. I apologize for any mistakes because I have a zillion things to do.
> 
> There is an OC but only one of them and that’s it. 
> 
> A GUIDE  
> Italics is for written down stuff like letter text  
> Quotation marks like ‘’ are for signing  
> Without further ado, I present the first chapter of Fair Weather!

It had been an early spring morning when Gale had goes out to forage for Wildberries and Hearty Salmon, two things that were a comfort food to her young son. Comfort food always was a good remedy to soothe over the heart and stomach.

The sun peeked through evergreen leaves that rusted against the open-ended sky, blue and cloudless as she went through the brambles of the underbrush for her search. Her wicker basket already had the fish, blanketed by fabric so the stench wouldn’t drench into the twining wood.

The forest life rustled with the balmy breezes, bugs, and birds lively as ever as the morning had ended into an early afternoon, the droning of heat ringing.

Gale made sure the berries were in their sweetest state and not sour in the slightest. To be a bit selfish for herself, she rubbed one off on her clothing before popping it in her mouth. Sweet as honey and popping with flavor, these had been the ripest bunch which meant that they would have a good harvest this year.

With the recent events that had transpired her son needed as much babying as possible as she sighed to herself, thinking of her late husband.

His death had come abruptly that had left her bright boy, sullen and crestfallen.

He had a couple more years until he had his first bout of teenage rebellion but he had aged years within those days from the loss of his father. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking now, so outspoken to be hushed for days. He had worshipped his father, claiming that he wanted to be the best like he was, champion of the archers that his father has been entertained by his reverence.

Her poor Revali was taking it as hard as she was as Gale exhaled and held it.

The funeral had been a month or so ago but the wounds were still very much tender to the touch.

There had been no body to mourn over, a memorial to honor him for his service that she had appreciated greatly. The village had lent her their collective sorrow and empathy and she leaned heavily on them for consolation. Gale honestly wouldn’t know what she would do without her extended family, who had been keeping an eye out for her son that ran off more than ever. Even skipping school that she knew he loved. He loved his father more, however.

Majority of the time, if not all of them, he was found asleep under the stone where his father’s name laid, where a guard would hand him back into her waiting arms. All she could do was thank them for their troubles and put him to bed and hope he was dreaming of simpler memories.

Gale pretended that she didn’t see his puffy eyes or hear his stifled cries from his room when he skipped a meal. She would still leave a hot meal waiting for him outside though.

She knew that he wouldn’t like her hovering, he was at a difficult age of six going onto seven to where he would be learning with others from school. Revali didn’t do well with others however, excluded from the groups due to his stubborn proud nature he had passed down from his father. Although the village children respected his father they couldn’t respect him because he hadn’t garner it yet. Still, it was a recurring topic that came up whenever she asked him to make friends.

“They just laugh at me! They say Dad is cool and amazing and I’m just lame! They’re so—so—“ and then he would say whatever big word came to mind that he learned from his father or the books he put his beak into. His father had been such an articulate man in contrast to her, thinking fondly of the heap of stories containing grand legends that Revali eagerly sponged up. His father had been one of the best storytellers, whenever off-duty he would be swarmed by the town’s children when seeing him tow his books around.

When telling his father once of his woes, he had laughed but reassured him before he could throw a tantrum that he would surpass him. Revali would prove everyone wrong as he would one day take him up to the flight range to practice his skills.

Whenever his mother agreed of course, her husband shrinking away from the reprimanding stare she gave him many times before.

However, that had made Revali’s world right again as he preened under his father's praise, running off with a too large bow for him to even carry (yet he did somehow) and quiver on his back. His father would chase after him, laughter echoing through the town. His father was—had been—a jolly, light-hearted man that had so much love to give and won her over easily, melting her frigid heart. It had made the whole town fall in love with him and it had been something she had fallen in love with.

Such a boisterous loud man falling in love with a mute woman was a romantic tale that the entire town gushed over.

It would seem that day would never come.

The practice range was nothing more than an imaginative daydream, out of mind and reach higher up than ever before.

It made her heart plummet so far seeing Revali like that and knowing that she couldn’t do much, she was in no better position herself. All she could do was be there for him and comfort him while she was struggling to rebuild her home—her life.

There was that telltale stinging sensation behind her eyes that she willed away because this wouldn’t do she had to be strong for herself, her son—her remaining family. Her son needed her the most, even if their future was directionless at this time.

It was then she came across a tragic scene. It was something that happened occasionally but was still tragic nonetheless.

She smelled it before she saw it, throat clenching at the stench.

Her basket tumbled from her hands, as she saw the outstretched hands of something humanoid, fingers in the dirt as if trying to crawl along the forest floor. Seeing the sun-tanned skin and pointed ears, it was discernibly a Hylian before her. The redness that soaked into the earth made Gale queasier, bile in the back of her throat. Turning them over she saw that she had been run through and her stomach burbled unpleasantly at the sight, threatening to throw up the berry she had just eaten.

However, she succeeded in her goal when Gale saw her arms clenched around something. She had been a mother and died doing what one of a mother’s duties had been: caring for their children.

A mother’s love was one of the most potent things in their place of magic and mystery, Gale could contend to that.

In the ring of her arms was a young boy, no older than her own son that was unconscious from the knob on his forehead. Checking over him she felt a washing over of relief when seeing that had been the only visible injury. His breathing was shallow, wispy against her feathers and his temperature was oddly high despite the sultriness that was passing over them. Although she was no medic, the boy was on the rim of a raging fever.

Food forgotten now, she took him up on her back and flew to the establishment. Making certain he didn’t tumble off, she soon landed on the outcrop of the wooden flooring with a powerful gust that went over passerbys.

On the flight deck, several guards took in the frantic appearance that was so unlike her. Before her own world had been turned upside down, she had been a woman that upheld her standards to a high degree, a trait that Revali has woefully inherited. Now she was neglecting to braid her hair or ironing her clothing like she dutifully had done before. Yet they all understood and would give her the needed time as grief was a menacing thing.

Then they saw the little Hylian in her winged arms, covered in her downy feathers. The poor thing was burrowed into her despite his illness. Coming over they immediately accessed the situation, one of them going to notify the Elder.

'Take him to the infirmary and send out a retrieval team to the forest by here! Hurry now!'' One of the guards shouted out as they snapped to attention as she handed him off, Gale going towards her roost. It was the highest in the tight-knit community, her husband claiming it was the best vantage point, being the overseer of the place. From how the sun was in the sky now, Revali would just now be arriving back from his learning.

Scouring through his things, she found a change of clothing that Revali out-grew but never bothered to put it away. It was then she heard the flap of wings and a mini-storm of wind over her before her son flew in.

“Mother I’m famished! Are we going to have Salmon Meunière?” His jubilant voice told her he had been looking forward to the meal and she felt a bit guilty at not bringing back the ingredients. But there were more important things than a meal, someone’s life, a young one was still being situated. He came in, cocking his head at her. “Uh, what are you doing?” His neat and tidy room that he spent hours organizing had was as if a typhoon had wrecked its way through, spying the worn clothing that she had.

Gale put the clothing down, putting a hand to his shoulders. ‘I’m sorry my little blue bird, but it seems you have to settle for something else.’ Before he could begin to protest, because he would she goes on, hands moving quicker. “I found a young Hylian hurt in the woods, I’m about to head over to the infirmary now to see his condition.”

He closed his beak, considerate now. Despite that he was hungry and had been eager to eating one of his favorite foods, the well-being of someone else triumphed over his own needs. Besides he hadn’t met a Hylian yet, only seeing them from afar atop their village. He’d caught passing glimpses and they had him curious from their countenance and mannerisms. Now this was an opportunity for him to meet one.

“Can I come with you?” Gale mulled it over. If it meant that he wouldn’t sulk over not getting his food then he was more than welcome to come with her.

‘Of course, you can. He’s about your age he could use a friend right now.’ Revali wouldn’t admit it but he was excited now, chest feathers pluming up and hopping to his feet a bit.

The prospect of having a friend that recognized his greatness was promising. Perhaps the Goddess was being lenient, giving back after taking something away from them.

Also, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone to talk to, it was quite lonely at school no matter how much Revali tried to propel that loneliness. The children were pitying as much as the adults, being told not to be rude and he hated it immensely. Revali didn’t need pity or faked politeness what he needed was strength so he could protect himself and his mother. He would get stronger, protect her and his home he had said to his father.

They flew downwards to where the infirmary was, seeing a crowd of Rito around a bed cornered away. The medical bay would be vacant if not for the growing crowd that was seeping in. Not many travelers came through because of the heights and the windy weather that came with their town, but whenever one did there would always be some sort of hubbub. Due to the dire state of the boy, there were mostly adults, though there were also children to see who the visitor was.

Unapologetic, Revali made his way through the mass crassly yelling at people to move as he finally saw the boy. His golden hair was streaking across his forehead from his excessive sweating, breaths coming in puffs. His sunny skin was clammy-looking, paling and he tussled with the blankets he was encased in. Rito flitted in and out, the adults ushering the children out to monitor the young boy without distractions. Worried, Revali looked over to his mother now taking in the severity of the situation.

“Is he going to be okay? He looks sick.” The boy whines that made him look back at him before his mother made a motion that told him he would be okay.

“It’s only a small fever probably from his heat exhaustion,” a nurse told him as they made the boy drink an elixir before accommodating to their patient, blanketing him. “He’ll be fine after resting for a bit.” Having no feathers made him susceptible to the draft from how high they were and piled on the blankets although the boy tried to escape from it. For now, the vial he had taken was working its way through his system, body regulating itself to the effects.

“Gale, the Elder would like a word with you. Come with me please.” A guard came in a friend of her husband she noticed. Nodding she patted her son on his head before taking her to leave. She took a backwards glance to the nurses and they stared over to the two boys, meaning they would watch over them. With that she went up to the wooden steps, Revali staring at her back until she was out of his vision.

He had been apprehensive whenever she had to go for whatever reason, scared that he could lose another parent. But his mother would be safe in their town.

Revali took a nearby seat and watched the boy, wanting him to wake up because he wanted to know more about him than what was on surface-level. Despite being different from them, he wasn’t that bad-looking, just peculiar. He did smell bad though and his nose wrinkled at the stench.

Gale reached the top post of the rooster as the guard bowed to her before leaving.

A translator was there as well as the Elder rocked on his chair, the lull calming. His golden feathers glimmered in the low midday sun as his eyes softened when seeing the widow. The Elder had his title from being the wisest in the village, prophetic in his verses. He had been well acquainted with her husband and very much cherished Revali like a grandson despite not having any of his own and she like a daughter to him. It had pained him as well to lose an individual as good-hearted as her husband but such sadness would be wasted now, focusing on the development that had occurred.

“My dear child, what happened in the forest? Could you give clarification on what exactly you came upon?”

Gale nodded. ‘I had been searching for ingredients for a special meal when I came upon a mother and son. She—' her fingers fumble then before she finds the right signing, 'she—had passed long before I had found her. Her son was unconscious and I brought him here. That’s all.’

Perhaps if her husband had been alive, the mother would be too. Her husband had patrolled religiously around the area as far out to the Tabantha Frontier and up in the snow-capped peaks, intent on keeping vigilance on the town. The elder seemed thoughtful as he took in what she had concluded, hand coming to his cane.

“This has also been found with her.” The Elder beckons a sentry to him that passed over an olden sword and a single letter, a wax seal on it. It was intricate, a royal seal to it and she wonders if the woman was a noble. Why would she be so far from Hyrule then?

Then the Elder gave it to her as she scrutinized over it. The sword she recognized from the menagerie of novels that her son and husband poured their attention into. It was the Legendary Sword, the sole thing that was to purge all evil and bring back peace to the lands as it had been foretold in their ancestral tales. All it had been was a myth of a location rumored and passed down from generations, never found but here it was, sheening vibrantly. There wasn't a hint of rust, as if the blade had been crafted a day before. Her eyes bulged when holding the relic before her eyes shifted to the front of the letter.

_To Link, My Son_

So his name was Link, what a fitting name for a boy like him.

A link to the future, a step to go on forward. Maybe the sword had been a parting gift? Either way, the letter wasn’t hers to open and she respected the dead as she left it as it was, glancing back to the head of the village. He seemed thoughtful, orange eyes staring up heavenward as if listening to a voice none of them could hear.

“Those boys have a fate that transcends ahead of them, I feel it in these whittled bones of mine. Or that could just be old age getting to me,” the owl chuckled to himself before he leaned up onto his cane and stood.

Plodding over to her, he put his lengthy wing over her as they directed their eyesight over the two boys that are under them in the bay. Revali has sidled closer, putting his elbows on the blanket as he put his head down, waiting. It was endearing to a mother’s heart and already Gale was feeling an attachment to the orphaned boy, heart subsiding from loss. Perhaps she could fit another person in it. She did ponder on the Elder's words and what fate was in store for them.

There’s a lofty breath, a sadness in the old bird’s eyes. “The mother will be given a proper burial in the mountains. Although she was not a Rito, her soul deserves to be as free as our own and soaring through the sky. May she find peace up there and be at peace looking down on her son.”

Gale prays to Hylia that she would take care of the mother and another one for her husband if they were ever to meet up due to their paths converging.

*

Link wakes up the next day and hears an exhale and the snap of a book cover closing.

His brain hasn’t caught up with his body yet and he takes in what is surrounding him. His eyes darted around taking in the wooden structures and body lethargic with the tiredness of yesterday still weighing him down and then there are footfalls by his bed.

“You sure do know how to make people wait. I was thinking I was going to molt my feathers until the next time you woke up.” Links head whips and he sees a…bird? A humanoid bird, with some white-tipped blue feathers and rosy cheeks and red-circled eyelids, green eyes studying him like he’s the most interesting thing he’s seen all day.

Which in this case, he was at the moment. The survivor had been the talk of the school and town, everyone talking to him about it despite that Revali didn’t feel like talking about it. Why talk about him when they could talk about Revali?

His coloring hurts his eyes and Link blinks away the bleariness that’s coming up.

“Can you speak?” Link had no reaction and Revali sighs and signs a hello, wing coming off his head. Link looks more lost than ever at what he’s doing and Revali’s eyes furrowed into a pinch. If he was mute or deaf then he could at least know the most basic sign language. Not that he wanted to brag but he knew more sign language than any of the children in the village because of his mother and it was useful in many ways when signaling to guards. Maybe he was blind?

Those limitless blue eyes as clear as the sky weren’t unseeing as he had peered around the room. Though that could be because he was disoriented, not knowing where exactly he was.

There’s that trademarked breeze that had gifted her name as his mother enters, Wildberries and apples in her basket. She smiles at the boy and looks to her son, depending on him to relay her words. He putters out a breath but does what she wants.

“Mother says that she’s happy you’re awake. She says if you don’t want to speak you don’t have to.” Link blushes before nodding at the nice bird woman that had handed him an apple. Ravenous he chomps down on it, Revali grimacing at the messiness of the boy in front of him.

“You’re also going to live with us—wait—WHAT!” Revali shrieks and his mother skewers him with a chiding look because Link had flinched from the outburst. The boy huddled in his covers, fruit still in his hands as he nibbles at it more cautiously. “Mother you didn’t tell me this before!”

While Revali thought it would be nice to have a friend that revered him and agree with how cool he could be, that friend living in his house was a different thing altogether. He preferred being alone, the company of others wasn’t much to him. It would be just him and his mother but now that illusion was coming down around him.

Adoption he hadn’t even thought of as his mother steered him by the shoulder as she placed the basket of fruit by the boy who was reaching for another. Link hadn’t seemed that fazed because he couldn’t tell what they were signing and was far too hungry to decipher what conversation they were having.

“Can’t he live with his own kind?” He hadn’t really meant for it to come out that way and withered at his wording and his mother’s gaze. “I mean—isn’t it better for him to be with other Hylians? What if he has more family searching for him?”

His mother had thought of her scenarios but remained steadfast. If any members of his family came looking for him, it was up to the boy if he wanted to go with them or stay in the Rito Village. Ultimately it was up to Link what choice he would make but for now she wouldn’t overwhelm the boy, he had lost his mother a day ago.

‘No we’re going to be there for him. His mother tried to reach this town and if this was where she was going this is where he’s going to stay. Am I clear?' Revali grumbled but didn’t object because anything his mother said was law.

He knew that his mother had died and a bit of him felt guilty for even suggesting that they send him away in such a critical point in his life.

‘Please understand Revali.’ His mother places a hand under his chin, tilting his head to look at her. ‘If you were in his position, would you want to leave a place where your mother knew you would be safe at?’ Revali clacks his beak at that because his mother was undoubtedly correct in what she was saying.

“Okay, okay but I’m not going to hold his hand or anything.” His mother gives an wispy laugh as they go back to where the boy is sitting, starting on the berries.

Writing down a quick note, she informed him that he was coming to stay with him that caused the boy to stare at her in confusion.

“But what about Mom?” His voice matched his disposition, quiet but distinct enough to be a sound and Revali glances at his mother.

Initially, she had thought that the boy knew that his mother had passed from not seeing her in the medical bay but children had a naivety to them, fragile that they had to be handled with the utmost care. Link was tempered glass now, fragile where there were fractures she had to glue back together and hope for the best.

Hesitating, she writes something down, boiled down without any fancy writing.

_Your mother has passed on. I’m sorry. Her funeral is tonight._

His hands shook and tears smattered down his eyes before he wiped them away briskly, and swallowed down any other weakness. His throat hiccuped, protesting but he allowed no more tears. Revali was impressed, he bawled nearly forever when hearing the news of his father's death. Link was mature for his age he would hand him that, despite being smaller than him.

“Dad always said not to show weakness. But now they’re both dead. Why show weakness if it doesn’t do anything? They're gone now.” He sounded so lost, pouring himself out to her at that moment that Gale had to gather the boy in her arms in a hug. The boy clung to her for well-needed solace.

When watching the exchange, it was something Revali had that Link would never have again he realized. Revali counted himself lucky that he had one parent there for him while Link had none. Awkwardly he walked off to give him privacy because he would have hated if someone saw him cry.

Soon the boy had exhausted himself back to sleep, crying himself dry. His cheeks were wet from the tears that Gale wiped from his face.

For now, all she could offer to him was her home and her hugs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Revali and Link interaction will happen more in the next chapter! Please comment and such it helps motivate me!
> 
> Also hmu on tumblr at http://nitto14.tumblr.com and twit @nitto_14
> 
> PST I also made a discord for revalink https://discord.gg/Mp2FDKs  
> It’s empty but it’s there...


	2. This Tentative Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy and comment, kudos, bookmark, etc. Two chapters in one day???? woW

The funeral had been a quaint one. If a funeral could even be called quaint.

Several Rito, the squad that had retrieved her had shown up to give their respects when hearing that it would happen at night, as all funerals the Rito held did. Revali was there too, next to Link and looking at him ever so often. He had been startled when the boy had talked although now he was as silent as the evening snow swirling around them.

The bouquet his mother had been holding so gently in her grasps were comprised of Blue Nightshade. Their effervescent light was fracturing reflections of blue fluorescence on the mountainsides. After all, these flowers bloomed best underneath the moonlight, pollen carrying serenely in their faces.

The boy's eyes were unreadable, a book that Revali hadn’t memorized himself with yet, eyes dimmed that Revali couldn’t blame him for.

It was an uphill battle losing a loved one, the freshness of his father’s departure on his own mind. Revali stared off into the charred embers of the torch in one of the lookouts hands then to the well-tied flowers in his mother’s hands, the plastic paper dancing in the draft.

It had been cold up in the mountain tops as Link had donned snow quill clothing that the shopkeeper had gifted him with, welcoming him to the town. The quills had kept him heated enough to withstand the chilliness, shivering from a sneaking stream of coolness that had snuck between the layers he wore. Not that the chill was going to keep him from coming up there regardless.

The boy’s face was reddened, eyes teary not from the icy gusts that threw his hair about. The oldest avian began to address the assemblage, giving the proper procedures before Link’s mother was hidden in the snow drifts, preserved there until the ends of time itself as finalized by the Elder. Link sniffed and Revali spared him a glance, feeling his mother’s eyes on him. Without a word, he went up to him to where their shoulders touched for the briefest moments. The contact made Link jump at it, baffled by the other but Revali kept his eyesight at the procession that was happening before them.

A flame was set on a lantern and a torch to stay lit through the night until it was dawn, to guide her way up to the sky and Link swallowed back on his sorrow. It was still a lot to take in.

Within minutes it was over and they went back to the village, Link’s heart still up in the mountains alongside the snow drifts.

*

Link had gotten Revali’s hand me downs although the outfit he was wearing was ideal, having been custom made to level out his temperature and to be put up against the winds that their village was made perilous to others. With his clothing and the headdress he had atop his head, the traditional garbs of a Rito suited him much to the chagrin of Revali. The tribal patterns that had been adeptly embroidered in were too innate on Link as if he had been born and raised there on their town like he had been hatched out of an egg himself.

Revali didn’t like how well the other fit into his life like he had been something that Revali had missed out on for a long while.

It was obtrusive and unsettling, despite that the boy barely spoke entire sentences as if he was afraid of his own mouth. Not that he should be, what could he say that could be so frightening? He was impossibly meek and opted to sign things which he had picked up with ease, almost as efficient as he was much to the disgruntlement of Revali. It had taken him a year at least to get that good with repeated memorizing and to see Link to be progressed within a shortened amount of time had bothered him more than he had expected.

The other kids weren’t too kind to him either.

After the brand newness of him wore off, they were bored and somewhat agitated by how he excelled in whatever lesson they were being taught that day. Teacher’s pet, show-off and snide snickering that made the boy glow with red with mortification. Sadly, Link couldn’t become any quieter than he was and would be tacked into his seat as if frozen to it. His notepad where he had written questions on stayed untouched, answers never coming.

He wasn’t even a Rito they would chorus behind him but their teacher wouldn’t excuse any stigma towards another pupil who was enthusiastic, halting any behavior that was unjust from any prejudice the teacher saw. The fledglings didn’t bully him per se but sometimes didn’t acknowledge him unless it was at his expense.

If anything, he was a speck of dust floating aimlessly in their winds.

The fledglings now allied themselves with Revali on how he could put up with a person like him and Revali at long-last had finally got the attention he had desired for. Although it was at the cost of Link, which was a low price. Distantly he could hear his mother, lecturing him inside his head that made Revali’s stomach coil nastily at.

Their routes would verge where Link would go on to his home and Revali would be out and playing with the other children of the village. His mother had asked for her son to include him, so Link could better ingrain himself in the town and their culture but Revali couldn’t force people on what they could or couldn’t do. He was a kid after all and kids didn’t really listen to one another, even with persuasion.

His mother had been busy supporting two children now and Revali found himself filled with ire seeing his mother, less and less because of the new addition to their house. She was busy flying between jobs and could tell that she was tired despite the cheery grin and hand signs she showed him whenever he saw her. Link had taken up residence in a room that was within the roost, out of sight and out of mind but that permanence didn’t mean Revali liked it.

And then it changed, somehow inexplicably, suddenly.

Link had been reading under the sanctuary of an awning and Revali had been passing by with his newfound friends. Although they weren’t as bright as Revali in his opinion.

One of the more mischievous in the bunch had went up to Link as Revali loitered around, not wanting to come too close because he would see Link at home anyway.

“Hey Link.” His head whips up and his eyes flitted with uncertainty as he shuffled the pages of his book in his hands. It was about archery, one of his most treasured items that was in his hands and Revali was just interested in what made him think he could get good at it. He wasn’t truly a Rito after all. He couldn’t get angry with him even when having his prized book because everything that Link had, once had been his. He had no need for it now.

“There’s a Bokoblin at the base of the hills. If you beat it maybe you can play with us.” Link got up then and went to walk away, probably to where he wasn’t being degraded before the avian imitated a chicken.

 

Chickens were abundant by the stable near the village and the children had of course, imitated their sounds because they were just funny to them.

Then it was a chorus of chicken clucks and wing flapping that made Link look back, face as blank as ever. His eyes latched to Link’s briefly before he turned his viewpoint up towards the sky. He wasn’t joining into the ridicule, he was above that because he wasn’t a bird, he was a Rito. Marching over Link tapped his foot, book in his pocket and hand up as if to say ‘lead me to it.’ They all giggled other than Revali because it wasn’t that funny, Link was just quiet like his mother. It was something he had gotten used to.

“Glad to know you got guts! Goblin guts, haha get it!” Another friend hooted as they all trotted down a path that went off from the town and down into the woods. “C’mon it's right over here!”

They snuck past the sentries on the towers and crouched in the lush greenness of the wild as they made their way to where they had spotted it. Rarely had Revali been out of Rito Village before but never without permission knowing how strict his parents had been about going beyond the boundaries. Now he was free to roam wherever he pleased, do whatever he wanted with this sudden freedom he was gifted with since his mother was preoccupied. It didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to disobey her but these were his friends and they knew what to do, right?

Bypassing the wildlife from the packs of howling wolves and skittish foxes, they came to an overhang to where there had been a Bokoblin with its bow and arrows shooting prey and cackling to itself. Revali shuddered because it was so repulsive, that thing thought it was doing archery? It made him disgusted tsking at the craftsmanship of its crude weaponry.

“Beat it and then we’ll play with you. You got that?”

Maybe Link just wanted them to leave him alone. Or was he really that starved for friends?

Not that he could judge him for that. Revali had been in that place and before he can say anything, Link was sprinting at full speed towards the monster. His spindly legs made enough racket that made its head go up when seeing him charge out. The children hollered and oh’ed at the head-on approach that Link was taking while Revali could only shake his head at him. It snorted piggishly at him before it raised its arrow, causing the other fledglings to hightail it out of there with their jabbered peeping but Revali wouldn’t.

Didn’t budge because Link had clambered on top of the goblin and had the bow up to its neck. Yet his thin arms could only brace himself to not be bucked off from how the Bokoblin was trying to rocket the boy off. The boy was riding it out, grunting as he kept on just barely, hands already slipping with perspiration.

If his mother found out that this had ever happened he would be a load of trouble. Probably grounded indefinitely with no Salmon Meunière and dessert whatsoever.

He was only doing this because he didn’t want to get in trouble and he wanted to eat Salmon Meunière and desserts whenever he had a craving for it.

“Link, get down!” He flew straight over and above them and bombarded the thing with rocks that he clutched in his talons. There had been no other option, no weapons to defend themselves, no planning whatsoever. They’d have to use the environment to their advantage.

It oinked out a scream and before he had seen it, bowled a boulder up at him while tossing Link off of it, coming off with its bow and arrows. The boulder had knocked him out of the sky as he crash-landed into the plains below, his head in a haze as the beast came down on him. His body was still taking in the impact as vertigo overcame him, his vision woozy and he stumbled, urging himself to get up and stand.

His shoulder was as if it had been put over an open flame and he was being seared over it as he held back a scream. His chest let out a wheeze from his squeezing diaphragm as he coughed, winded from it.

Link was righting an arrow but it had went too far and jagged itself into the turf due to his adrenaline-shaky fingers. Or the fact that he wasn’t well-versed in archery, he was better with something heavier with more devastation to it. Archery was too delicate for his hands to handle, too precise as he’d rather melee everything. Link opted for an astrayed tree branch, dashing over to shepherd the beast away from Revali who was disoriented from being flung from the air. Link whistled loudly then and yelled at the beast as it came back to him. One thing that worked to their benefit was that Bokoblins were as dumb as dirt.

Meanwhile, Revali could only wonder what had possessed him to be like that. Why was he doing all of this when he had treated him like he was more than nothing? Why? Hearing the rampant panting of the other boy and his scampering feet took Revali out of his thinking.

Something unidentifiable made its way up in his chest from Link’s selfless act and Revali knew that he messed up. He was the biggest fool of his own shortcomings but that could be delved further in a re-evaluation of himself and his morals.

What would his father think of him now? Gritting his teeth, Revali would do right for him. He would make things right with Link and he had no time thinking of what he can do when he had to do it—now!

Grabbing the bow and one of the arrows that had been jostled from the Bokoblin’s back, Revali notched it like how his father had secretly taught him in target practice. Lined it up to his eye, envision where it would go centered in and release on a breath. He wasn’t paying attention at all to how Link was backing up as the monsters arms came up to smash down on him when he brought the flimsy branch up as if it could prevent it. Revali let go then and the arrow launched through the air like a clean whistle echoing.

Anti-climatic, it toppled over with a screech as it exploded with a foggy purple and left behind its various body parts that could be looted.

But Revali wasn’t focused on that, didn’t even know someone could pillage corpses of enemies.

He put the bow over his shoulder and grappled for Link’s hand as they rushed back into the village, throwing caution to the wind of what and who saw them now. Both looked like they had been rolling down the hills, hitting rocks and dirt along the way with the twigs and grime plastered to them. The other held on tight in response, interlocking his fingers between his own as if scared Revali would be wrenched away from him.

The fledglings there had peeked out in awe at the trophy Revali had gotten but he pushed past them as he went up to their coop.

Going down to the lower levels, (there had been stairs installed for Link to maintain his body temperature at a healthy range) Revali checked over him. The other let him as Revali fussed, berating Link and himself. Their bodies were inexcusably sore and dirtied but they were alive and in one piece, heartbeats swift under their skin.

Other than his clothes being soiled and sprigs sprouting out of his hair, the minor scratches to Link’s hands and forearms weren’t life-threatening. Thankfully his noggin hadn’t been struck as it was still healing from when they had first discovered him, still pulpy when brushing his wing over it. Despite being winded from the ruckus of dodging and running, he hadn’t been harmed. Something had loosened when coming to that revelation, a toughened and resistant part of Revali mellowing like Goat Butter.

Relieved, the feeling in his chest was less amplified now as he let go of Link’s hand then, not even noticing that he had held onto it for a while. However, Link wasn’t staying put as he cranes his head at him and pointed at his right shoulder, the one he pretend practiced with bows and arrows. When peering down at it he saw that there had been a scraped off a chunk of feathers, that left puckered skin behind that he couldn’t pass off with his clothing.

“Oh pluck,” he cursed and Link looked amused at his choice of wording. Indecisive, he finally put a hand up to it and hissed because he wasn’t going to lie and say it didn’t hurt. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either.

There was no way they could hide this from his mother now. Link seemed worried from his constant touching and bobbing of his head to get a better look that Revali edged back from his fussing. Link huffed before he ventured back up the stairs, thuds and clangs as he ran amuck above him that Revali waited for him to come back. For someone so quiet he sure did make a lot of noise.

Revali stared at the blood that was gathering on his blue wings, wingtips dingy with red. If it had gotten on the sheets or his clothing it would be impossible to get out—too late. Soap could possibly hide this if they were to act fast enough.

Not even five minutes had gone by before Link was back and they were both seated on his bed, Link vaulting off the ladder and his touchdown made them both rebound on the mattress. Revali was about to lambaste him but the boy held out his hands, as if that would be enough appeasement for him.

In his hands was the medkit his mother kept around because his father had usually came back banged up and ready to be patched up when he had been too lazy to do it himself. With prying hands and eyes, Link disinfected the scuffle of the injury before shoveling a potion down his throat. Indignantly, Revali glared at him but did drink it, Link glaring back at him as if daring him to spit it out. He didn't since he was already he was feeling revitalized as downed it all. Then Link taped the gauze down after toweling the section off while Revali let him with minimal resistance.

His wings would only get bunched up in the stickiness of the adhesives and he wasn’t as good at it because his mother or father usually did it for him. Link’s was ...passable, having segmented digits did have its capabilities.

Link threw away the stained cloths and the bottle, to get rid of the evidence. For a minute their thoughts went over what had gone down not even ten minutes ago, bodies still thrumming with the exhilaration of stimulation. Link’s hands were still jittery like Revali’s breathing as they collapsed back on the bed. It was like they were up in the sky from the sensation they were feeling, blood running hotter in their veins.

Revali ignored the ache of his new battle wound and turned into the linen covers. His first one in combat, his father would truly be proud of his accomplished feat of today.

For a momentary silence they lapsed in it, no tension from their previous encounters in the house or out in the village. Without the watchful staring of onlookers, it was easier to just be together without saying anything. And it was. Surprisingly it was Link that chipped away at the quietness that had befallen between the two of them.

“Why did you do that? It was crazy.” Link’s tentative tone made Revali turn over to look at him, grunting at how his wing cramped from the movement. The boy fiddled with the feathers around his ears. The tippy-tops of them were a ruddy color that wasn’t because of the heat rubies, as he looked to him then and Revali met his gaze steadily as seconds trickled by them.

“I could ask you the same.”

“Still that doesn’t…”

Revali cuts through. “Okay—fine I did it because we would get in trouble if we got found out. Although…” his eyes trailed to the white bandages on his shoulder that Link blanched at. “I think it would be futile to deny it from this…. Guess we’ll both share the blame now.”

That made sense to Link, the avian always managed to say everything so smartly and matter-of-fact. Yet he could have left him there just as easily and was confused by it. Revali was such a confusing person to be around. Whenever he wasn't saying anything the other would scoff at him and when he did Revali either spoke over him or paid him no mind all the same. He went the other way whenever he saw him and he knew that he didn’t want him around from how he was whenever Gale wasn’t there. Link wasn’t that bad was he? He could understand envy from others, it had followed him even here but Revali was something else entirely, something he hadn't encountered yet. So he tries again.

“I thought you hated me.” Revali moans exasperated because it may appear like he did hate him in every known way possible but he really didn’t. Revali was just abysmal in describing his emotions to others, his real ones and not the ones that were projected. It didn’t help when people viewed it as something else when it wasn’t.

His wing droops over his eyes. “I don’t hate you. I just hate that you’re good at things. People think you’re too good it’s all they talk about.” Whenever he hung out with the other kids, the conversations somehow veered to Link and how stupidly great he was at everything that had infuriated. Because once upon a time it had been Revali that had been good at everything and no one had bested him. Until now.

“Sorry.”

Revali is incredulous at him. “Don’t be sorry, it’s a good thing. Urgh—I’ll just get better at you at everything. And don’t pay attention to anyone else, only me.” Perhaps it had come off as pompous but if Link only kept a rivalry with him, he wouldn’t have to bother with the unwanted commentary from the others. Revali would provide him with all the goading he never knew he needed. Link doesn’t appear that sad anymore, eyes a brilliant blue and he nods because Link will hold him to that. He’ll be his rival if that’s what he wants.

A bit of friendly competition never hurt anyone.

It wasn’t a full-blown apology but it had been better than nothing. Instead, Revali would offer it in a different way. Glancing over to his hands, he put out his own. His wingspan dwarfed Link’s hand, another sign of superiority he thinks.

“Here let me.” Revali gets up then because Link doesn’t have the shielding of plumage on his body.

When educating himself about other nations, Revali had read how infections could happen and take lives effortlessly. Although his skin was nicked and the scratches weren’t deep enough for stitches, it still had that probability. Bacteria was a big issue to beings that had such breakable skin, which Link had. Not that he cared for Link, reading it had been only for informational intrigue. Mopping away the clotting blood he put the bandages over his skin and Link said his thanks, examining his hands and the off-color tan that littered his fingers and palms.

“It was nothing really. Compared to this.” He gestured up to his shoulder and Link giggles at him.

It’s a contrast to his muted voice, tuneful that Revali’s pricks his ears at. It was…happy sounding. Had Link ever laughed before? Link hadn’t ever sounded that happy ever since he’d gotten there. His chest balloons up because he had caused that, made him laugh even in spite of their conjoined pain. It was only something he had did.

Link’s eyes go over to his covers, Revali discreetly trying to block out the blood droplets that would need to be laundered out. The mattress molds to him and he wonders if the reason why Link slept in a bed was because he would fall out of a hammock if he didn't.

“Would you teach me how to shoot an arrow? My father had only taught me how to use a sword.” Revali perked up at the invitation before his brain caught onto the second thing he said. They’re on the bench of his pillows, Revali putting the heaviness on it to ease off on his crummy shoulder.

“Wait you father taught you how to use a sword?” A nod. Why would his father do that? Unless…. “Wait was your father a soldier or something?”

Apparently, Link and he were more similar than he had first thought.

Link nods again, opening up easily after a near-death experience. Those could do wonders to relationships. “He was in the Royal Guard. But after he died my mother left that life and we just…wandered. Still, he had taught me how to wield a sword just in case.” It was a good thing he did as it had been a distraction enough for Revali to get a one-shot kill.

As the boy went silent again, Revali swooped in with a one-wing grandiose sweep. Link looked onto him, enraptured to what he would say. Despite that Revali could go on listless rants, there was some fascination with what he said. To Link.

“My father has been a warrior, seasoned—best of the best. He flew highest, shot farthest, and above all never failed at what he did.” He mimicked as best as he could with one arm, as expressive as he could be. “Of course you can have the courtesy of my skill,” Revali crowed, passing over the tidbit of information that he had little to no experience. Still, Link agreed, head swiveling up and down rapidly because he never had been good with his aim on archery. Much less a total score of a bullseye.

It wasn’t even begrudging now how Revali talked to him, both in a period of equanimity. It was just two boys sharing stories of their heritage, bonding over mutualities.

The avian child was entranced in hearing of Link’s father and how he had been the Captain of the Royal Guards and appointed by the king himself. Now that he inspected Links upturned nose and lips and his rounded eyes and squishy cheeks, there was something certainly knightly about him. It was bequeathed in his family like it was destined for Revali to be enraptured in the skies like generations before him. Link had been next to succeed his father but the plans had been altered after his father had died. His mother abandoned their life in the kingdom, it had been too much for her and Revali saw that the boy had a dampened mood to him when remembering. Before he could let it get too somber Revali told the boy more of his own mother, the two swapping out stories of their mothers than of cushier times.

It was as if an unforeseen thing had taken off with Link and he smiled and thanked Revali for listening to him. Revali offered him a smile of his own because Link hadn’t been that bad, not unbearable as he had thought.

Talking to him was enjoyable and he actually could hold an intelligent conversation, unlike his classmates who never attempted to pursue sign language or combative strategy that they obviously tuned out whenever he brought it up to them. These were useful things that they had to know, it was better now than later to acquire the knowledge he was bountiful in.

Small minded people couldn’t value the finer things it seemed. Then again they were only ten but ten year olds didn’t take down monsters for fun nor they did beat them on their first try without weapons of any sort. He could share what he knew with Link though. Hyalians could have a methodology that Revali had never heard of before because if what the Ritos had was new to Link it would be new to Revali.

Revali had uncovered a kindred soul in Link and he mentally scolds himself for assuming that Link was something that he wasn’t, far from it. His mother had taught him to never base someone off appearance, using her disability many times before and he was kicking himself for it now.

Revali could make amends and Link could be his friend.

Link was more than a friend than the others had been, risking his neck for him that Revali liked the idea of being friends with Link. But first of all, he had to be one-hundred percent certain of something.

“So will you ever go back to Hyrule?” It wasn’t to push him away and Link blinks at him.

“Maybe, I didn't have any other family except my Mom and Dad. I didn’t really have friends over there if any. Besides,” his smile stretches at the corners and his cheeks are the faintest pink, “I kinda like it here. After today.” He adds and Revali only nods because he hadn’t been the nicest. None of the children had been and he frowns because they had been very unfair to him. Children could be the cruelest mongrels sometimes and he had been no better letting it happen.

So he does what he thinks would be the best next step. Holding out his hand he puts a finger out, pinky first. Puzzled Link fixes his eyes on him as they wavered between his face and wing, not knowing what he wants. Although Revali is nervous he grandly lays himself bare in front of Link, bare bones and all. If Link tore into him, refused him outright, he had every right to from how he had treated him before.

“This is a promise, a vow, a memento in time in this very moment.” Link’s brow quirks. “From this day forward, I Revali will be your friend. Will you begin this friendship with me?” It’s so like him, his flowery words to and the resplendent prospect he was presenting him as Link holds out his own pinky and scoots until their knees bump together.

“If this is your way of apologizing and wanting a new start—” Link takes in Revali’s fluffed up appearance, offended that his words had been as transparent as him, “—consider it taken. Deal.” With that, he locks their fingers to the other and touches them together to seal it before letting go.

It’s when Gale gets home and she sees the disarray of the two boys, wearing half the forest on themselves that she punished them both, no desserts and Salmon Meunière for either of them for a long time.

There’s a conspiratorial grin between them when she sees the bow that is on the table as it’s then she knows that’s she’s going to have to have the village on high alert when these two were out and about. What spurred on their budding friendship she was grateful for, seeing how they signed when not talking with the other, Revali righting Link’s hands to be exact that the other smiled at. Revali may even lend his own sign language book to him, if he wanted.

Despite that what they eat at dinner isn’t as savory as Revali’s favorite dish and there isn’t dessert, friendly spitfire is between the two boys, Link laughing animatedly enough that startled her but Revali laughs as he had already heard it before. Their little house is bouncing with happiness she never thought would happen again and she allows them the award of desserts from their improved behavior.

When the other avian children clambered around Revali when finally tracking him down he was already going home next to Link that has them befuddled.

“Where are you going? I thought you wanted to talk about how—“

“I’m grounded! For a long while! I’m going off with Link, see ya!” He gives a feathered salute that could be seen as mocking as the boy beside him suppresses a smile to himself.

Although the children are confused, Revali and Link are merrily on the recently paved path to friendship, the two going off to practice and pretend fight with the other. Even if they were grounded together they could find some fun.

It’s when they both get home that Gale is beaming at them as she hands them a paper, a flyer she had taken from where she worked at.

Archery classes, lessons starting that day because she had an inkling where Link and Revali vanished off to. It was also an indication that their punishment was over and she would relent for now.

Her boys both hug her, one more shy but just as tightly before going out the door because they were already late according to the date. Their resounding running and laughs to the other were musical to her ears as she then prepared for a hot meal upon their return. They needed all the nutrition to grow big and strong and she wondered if Revali would tower over her or if it would be Link.

If Link was Revali’s only one true friend, he found that he didn’t mind it one bit. So be it. When seeing the other grin so brazenly and talk to him, it was something that Revali overlooked for pride and had regretted now.

He was so glad that he and Link were friends now and wouldn’t have it any other way because they had gotten there and he had achieved it. Revali could tell that Link had the same sentiments even if he may not say it aloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for mistakes I'm supposed to be studying for my exams wheeeeee  
> Edit: In many asian cultures, we light laterns to guide our loved ones. Also someone in my family recently died so it may take a bit of time to make the next chapter. Apologies.


	3. Growing and Growing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after several months I chalked up my will to write. Sorry for the long wait! I’ll probably be going back and revise my chapters since my style sort of changed a bit.

By the time they reach the training grounds, the two children had unkempt appearances and were breathing like a thundercloud had sputtered to life in their tiny lungs.

Combing through his feathers and Link double-checking to make sure that he had on the right shoes on the right foot they’ve come upon Rito that are larger—older than them. With their height and gazes, Link shrunk back a bit while Revali puffed out his chest.

However, unlike the children in the village, there is no judgmental attitude to them, no juvenility whatsoever as they give them a once-over before turning to look at the front of the lines they had formed. They both now shrunk under their iron-strong gaze and even more when their instructor saw them.

Wasn’t this a beginner’s class? Maybe they had gotten the wrong schedule?

“There you two are.” The instructor had the blackest feathers as deep as a moonless midnight, hardened eyes and a clipped tone. Revali recognizes him as the avian that had trained many of the finest warriors, his father included. “You’re Gale’s boys right?” Seeing that had gained no reply the warrior cocked its head. “Unless I’m mistaken—“

“No, you’re right! This is—“ My brother? Technically Link was his brother as Gale had taken him under her wing but for some odd reason he didn’t feel like that was the right word to say. So instead Revali settled for a simpler answer. “Link. This is Link.” The boy nodded and stepped a bit further from Revali as if to prove his competence as the instructor stroked his chin.

“Well, this isn’t the Beginner Course but the Intermediate Course. As your father had been one of the best that I’ve trained, I assume he taught you the nature in archery.” Revali nodded and looked towards Link who was looking at the ground. “And how about you?”

Gently, Revali nudged Link to say something as the other seemed to be overcome by shyness. His ears were downcasted and so was his voice.

“My father taught me how to use a sword but I haven’t had much practice with the bow and arrow.” The instructor sighed inwardly.

He had taken liberations with Gale as her husband had been a great service to the community and taking children to handle weaponry could be troublesome. Especially if one wasn’t as good as the other as he knew the only reason she enrolled both the boys in the same class was for them to bond and set aside their species difference. Though he could tell that they were both friendly enough with the other, he didn’t know how well Hylians were with archery.

“That’s quite alright. Everyone!” The students stopped their small talk, eyes watchful. “This is Link and Revali. While they may be younger than the rest of you I expect no harassment of any of that sort. They’re your underclassmen and I expect each and every one of you to act appropriately. Today I want everyone to do a hands-on exercise and see who can do three bullseyes in a row.” There were murmurs of agreement and some grumbling as the students fluttered off to the training grounds.

Instead, the teacher peered down at Link with a warm smile. “You and I are going to have a quick session to see how well your skills are. Revali you can join them, Link will join you later.” Although a bit upset at leaving his friend behind Revali gripped Link’s shoulders.

“I know you can do it.” Link nodded before he flew off to where the others were, a distance away due to the placement of the targets.

On elevated grounds, their targets were more cumbersome from the elements of weather and the angles that they were shooting at. Taking a spare bow and quiver Revali observed the others and how a few were aggravated with how the wind was making their shotsgo off course. A few managed to hit the target but only a couple had gotten a bullseye much less three. With a smirk, Revali took up to the sky as a few had figured out that they had to be the ones to make the wind bend to their favor. There was a better updraft in the sky and archers shouldn’t be a sitting duck as that was the quickest way to being killed.

Slotting three arrows into the notch and seeing the baffled looks of the others he let it fly loose to where all three hit the dead center on the targets.

Several accused him of cheating and that he wasn’t following directions or showing off to which he scoffed at. His father taught him that while their targets may not move that they should be and make sure that whatever target was discharged upon the first shot. It was a technique that Revali had spent many nights sneaking out to practice in the forests. Not that his father or mother had known much about that. And yes it could be flashy but it did what it was intended to do.

“He didn’t say it wasn’t allowed, did he?” Revali mocked and he was about to do several more to add insult to injury when a sudden gust of wind swept over him.

Down below was Link who was sliding off the back of the instructor and there was frustration furrowed into his brows. The instructor looked at Revali’s target and saw that it was his commitment that had gotten him that far due to the deep exhales he had from flying up so far as he landed on the ground, walking towards them.

“I’m afraid Link has much to learn.” With those words said Revali felt a queasy feeling that Link may be separated from him. However, the instructor smiled instead and gave a pat on the young boy’s head. “However he holds much promise in weaponry for close combat such as swords. With some work, he’ll get better at the bow and arrow.”

While Ritos favored archery for their affinity of the sky and the feeling of the free wind blowing through them, there were some that took to close combat, though those were rare as only a select few could handle a sword. Due to their hollow bones, not many could wield a sword without their wings cramping but those with a strong enough will could muster through it. As the teacher departed to check on his class, Revali slung a wing over the other’s shoulders to try and make the other feel better.

Link glanced up to him and then at the flying Rito that were emptying their quivers at the attempts to hit the target. “I really suck at archery.”

“Maybe you do. I did too.” Link looks like he doesn’t believe him until Revali huffs and puts his hand into his.

It’s then that the boy can feel the roughness of his feathers down to the toughness of the calloused skin underneath. His white-tipped feathers are slightly bent from how hard he held onto his bow and dirtied from how often he uses them.

From the confusion of why he was doing this Revali grunted and crossed his arms. “You wouldn't believe the times I’ve accidentally shot at someone with an arrow or scraped my fingers raw practicing. Recoil also stings. A lot.” Revali looks at the arrows that he shot and can only see mistakes due to his aim and timing, though to others and Link it looks like a perfect landing.

“Could you…help me become better? My aim is always off and nothing works.” He didn’t need to be hesitant, Revali would be glad to have someone competent enough to rival him. Besides he had already asked he didn’t have to ask again. However, there was just one condition that Link had to give him first.

“Only if you teach me how to use a sword. Then you can call that even.” Not that he would let Link know his weakness, but it was the truth that wings and swords didn’t get along too well. All Rito would have to do was to become the best in that too. Link understood why not many Rito could use one seeing their delicate wings breaking under the weight but something told him that Revali could.

The dedication he put in archery was more than enough to tell him that.

*

Years ticked by like clockwork and while Revali was the shortest out of the Rito, he could still say that he was taller than Link that the other could learn to live with that. When living with Revali, it was easy to blank or tune him out whenever the other got too annoying. Around the ripe age of fifteen, Rito warriors went through a rite of passage into adulthood that required to take down roaming creatures that were running amok whether it be something insignificant as a pesky Bokoblin that stole food or the Lynel that was in the wintry summits of the mountains.

For Link and Revali they would do the trial together as the two had an ongoing competition between them and at this point in time, were a little inseparable. Not to where they were soulmates but the two had become closer than Gale would have thought.

The village had come to accept both of them, Revali still insufferable but less so whenever Link poked fun at him. And only Link could get away with poking fun at him. 

It was more along the lines that they’d grown onto everyone from how often they defended the town from malignant creatures. Rito Village was an open place, no need for doors considering that almost everyone could take flight, which meant that they were defenseless if not for the guards around town.

Over time, the boy grew more into the community, blending in with his traditional clothing and his braided tufts of hair although he was still very much that Hylian boy all those years ago.

Gale while aging beautifully, was still as strong-headed as Revali and chiding them whenever they came back with enough injuries to confine them into house arrest.

Although Link couldn’t fly, Revali had seen a wandering traveler use a contraption that could and had made it for his birthday that hadn’t been too long ago. No matter how much Link had denied it, Revali could see how he looked to the sky whenever he flew off. In turn, Link had helped Revali make his bow that was massive, nearly the size of Link only to make it easier to let out multiple arrows at once without risk of snapping a flimsy bowstring with the fortified horsehair that Link had snuck into the stables to get.

In the archery range that both came almost every day, Link was whittling down some wood from the nearby forest to make his own bow. It was cold even with the roar of the fire near him and Link hope he wouldn’t get a dripping nose being so high up and not having Revali’s body heat beside him to warm him. Even if he was in the heaviest clothing he knew that the winds could be brutal. There was a gust of wind he knew from anywhere, he had been the one to witness it firsthand and he glanced up.

“Ready to take down that Lynel?” Revali asked, smoothing down his feathers and the snow-white scarf around his neck made it evident that even the cold was bothering him.

Putting aside the in progress bow he had, Link nodded as he packed up his paraglider and hoisted himself into Revali’s back. It was a method that only Link could really do since he couldn’t fly but it was quite useful for fighting. Link, although not as good as Revali was, could hit a target dead-on even in dreadful storms gliding on a paraglider or someone’s back. Revali could sometimes double wield swords even if it did strain his arms or make him look ridiculous.

Creating an updraft that Revali had spent many months practicing, nearly years really, they took off a bit shakily due to Link’s added weight. The Hylian made a noise of accusation and discomfort and Revali rolled his eyes up at him.

“Please my take-off is perfect it’s because you’re on my back Link. Remember, hollow bones?” The boy muttered to himself and Revali jostled him again until the other pinched him in the side causing him to let out a rather loud squawk. Link laughed before he quieted down, centering on looking down to the ground to where the wildebeest may be.

Against the harsh sunlight and the snow, it gave him a bad case of snow blindness as Link hissed and rubbed at his seared eyes. After the numerous times, he had done it before he’d think he would learn but the trepidation of taking down a Lynel had his nerves fraying at their ends. Revali, however, didn’t notice his discomfort as he was too busy halting himself sideways, whipping his companion to jerk up. Link nearly fell off, scrambling, hands clawing into his straps of armor—his mouth open until he saw the streak of spidering light from the lightning arrow that shot through the air by them. An angered roar broke the blanketed silence, a warning that they had intruded into territory.

“Guess it found us first...great,” Revali readied himself as he heard the familiar noise of an arrow being taken from its quiver. A bomb arrow touched down with a returning distorted warbling as Revali felt Link leap off. It took a couple of seconds for Revali to process that Link had in fact jumped off of him without so much listening to his meticulous plan and he dove after him, fastening, his own arrows.

“Link you idiot, you’re going to get yourself killed!” The boy has opened his glider and launched himself on the downward drafts, something that only he could do as Revali followed behind. While Revali made the wind, Link flew on them. It was hard for Revali to describe how Link fought, as not much changed when they were children. Link’s style of battle wasn’t as thought out as Revali’s, his line of thinking was whatever that got the job done worked for him, which wasn’t what they had agreed on.

Letting go of the paraglider completely that had Revali cussing, the Hylian took out his sword coming to slash straight down at the Lynel that was switching to its own sword, shield in the other hand deflecting it.

They hadn’t ever taken down one and only a few in the village had taken on one and leave alive. Mostly it was to tell tales to scare Rito children to not venture too far in the mountains. Still, there were two of them so that would throw it off balance as Link backflipped, the cleaved blade far too close to touching his clothes that had Revali’s heart jumping and going in overdrive. Revali rapidly let go of his arrows while Link was busy slashing at its legs. It was then that Revali knew the reason why Link was distracting it was so it wouldn’t fire another arrow and Revali was bothered by how quickly Link had decided he was bait.

With another stream of exploding arrows to its face and Link somehow taking away its shield and using its anger against itself, Link sidestepped a charge and grabbed onto its mane as if to ride it. Holding on, Link was throttled back and forth so hard that his teeth clattered together and he could feel the thrumming of hot blood of the beast under him. Always Revali was nauseated and a bit infuriated from how Link was basically throwing down his own life or how often he had no repercussions for himself. Whenever he did that he always would get hurt and it was confirmed as Link was hurled on the ground flipping right into the snow.

Already his fine knitted plan was unraveling faster than he could have imagined. The rite of passages didn’t matter much to Revali if it was for the cost of Link’s life and seeing that his arrows were doing minimal damage and not as much as he would have wanted, he took his Feathered Edge out, moving on to Plan B. Coming down he sliced into the creature as far as his blade would go, making a face at the blood that splattered onto him. With a deafening clamor, it collapsed and it’s various body parts littered the once pristine snow.

Link was recovering him being thrown as he sat up and saw how both he and Revali how covered in gore, the other sourly looking over the both of them. Revali looked back over to Link but the snow had cushioned his fall as he then picked at his plumage. Already Link knew that Revali would be whining about the smell and stains probably for the next days to come. Taking the parts for both of them, he went over to where Revali was wiping his blade in the snow. Revali sighed, long-winded as Link gave him an apologetic smile.

“You always throw yourself so haphazardly in battle that it’s a miracle from the Goddess Hylia that you’re still alive.” Both of them were coming down from their intoxicating adrenaline rushes, Revali now feeling more weariness and the fear in his gut of what would have happened if they hadn’t won, all the what-ifs. “Next time listen to my plan, for once in your life, you absolute nuisance.”

Link just cleans his blade off beside him, silent but Revali can tell he’s sulking. From all these years of living with the other he can read his moods too easily that it’s useless to give him the silent treatment. His mother was mute after all.

“I’m not mad—more annoyed—“ Link skewers him with his eyes. Revali continues because he’s right and Link knows he’s right no matter how pig-headed he can be. “It’s just you need to care about yourself more. The way you fight is honestly like a Bokoblin.” Revali can say he does deserve the shove but he doesn’t need to shove his face full of snow. Especially if it may still be covered in Lynel gore.

Wiping his face off and spitting out the snow, Link almost buckled over with his laughter as Revali flapped his wings that blew him over.

“Try that again and you’ll be walking home.”

No further actions were made against him and Revali smirked seeing Link sneeze from the icy wind he may have accidentally made.

*

By the age of seventeen that was when someone was considered an adult throughout their world, but now they’re considered old enough to fight their battles by themselves if the Lynel parts are any indication of worth.

As quickly as the celebration had come, it had went.

Recently there has been an alarming amount of creatures coming into the designated areas around the Rito Village that had everyone cautious, curfews made that all citizens had to abide by. There had been an Hinox sighted and taken down before it could cause any sort of trouble and it was only growing the number of things that were being thrown their way. Despite the threats, Revali and Link would occasionally stay past curfew, not as much anymore with Gale being firm in her punishments. It didn’t help that the King of Hyrule was enlisting help for those to pilot those things, the Divine Beasts and strangers were coming in and out of the town in the cliffs.

As the Calamity loomed over, during many excavations from the king, Divine Beasts had been uncovered from each region of Hyrule. There had been one beast in Rito Village that had been uncovered, dormant in the cliffside. For now it had been closed off but Revali had been itching to look at it.

“If it’s the thing that’s going to end all of this chaos we have to see it once right? Who knows maybe I’m the one that needs to pilot it!” With Link he could be truthful with his hopes and ambitions and even more in his downfalls and shortcomings. More openly he could express his insecurities and not be ridiculed as Link was quite the patient and sympathetic listener whenever Revali aired his list of grievances to him. 

Link entertained his words as they both went to the bordered site, easily disregarding the warnings that had been placed by it. The pair had been getting a case of cabin fever from how the blizzards were and now that it had dwindled to nothing, it wouldn’t hurt to explore.

Before them, they realized why it may defeat the Calamity. The engravings on it have long been dimmed, lines running deep carved in stone of ancient technology. Compared to them, the machinery was intimidating to how ominously it resembled a bird or that it seemed sentient as Revali felt that it was asleep rather than decommissioned.

It’s called Vah Medoh…” Link didn’t know how something so big could be hidden away under rocks. His hand ran across the hull of it and he there was a faint vibration that had him uneasy, taking his hand off it.

“Probably after ancestors or something other. Odd how something so huge would be kept as a secret after all this time,” Revali echoes his thoughts, getting onto the platform, helping Link stand with him. Something within him tells him to go further up, fly above and he turns to Link who is bundled warmly in his Snowquill, leaning more into him to leech off his body heat.

“Call this a bit of a hunch but I think we need to fly up and then get on.” Confused Link doesn’t understand his sudden desire to fly but hops on his back as Revali uses the wind to carry them up. To Link it could never get old, getting wrapped in the funnel of air with his hair whipping across his face—eyes stinging but he loves the sensations as they’re boosted up into the atmospheric dusk.

“So are you going to name it something bird-related like how you did with Great Eagle Bow.” Link rests his elbows on him, looking down as Revali drifted in the wintertime air, ignoring the side-eye he’s getting. “I still don’t understand why you had to name it that.”

“Oh Hylia it’s just a name Link.”

“So are you going to name this—ability of yours?” Link’s voice is teasing but Revali knows that he’s put so much effort in this, to fly right off the ground and to manipulate wind to his liking.

When no response came Link comes up with one for him. “How about Revali’s Wind Waker?”

“...Why that? What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know it sounds neat to me. The One Who Wakes the Wind.”

There’s a beat of silence, Revali’s wings cutting fluidly through it. “I was thinking Revali’s Gale since mother helped me with coming up with it.”

“Nevermind I like that better.”

While they’re near to the machine, it is nighttime and the moonlight has Revali’s eyes fixating on different locations to see if Vah Medoh has a landable spot. It’s then his eyes adjust he can see the top is flattened. The wings have slabs of rocks off of them and saw that in the center it’s mostly vacant. Almost as if it’s meant to be landed on and for some unforeseen reason a shiver of anticipation goes through him that Link passes off as the cold.

With his descent they survey the area, Link striking flint onto a torch so that they can see where they’re going. It’s massive even up here and Revali sees a pedestal off-centered. Something in him is abuzz as if waking up and they both amble towards it. It seemed to be some kind of navigation system, at least that’s what he thinks it is and Revali brushes his wing onto it by chance, dust collecting onto it. Not at all by chance, the entire panel lights up, a blue light that spreads through the landscape.There's the distant whirring of gears being shifted and the crumbling foundation of rocks around them that has Link racing over to him, torch forgotten.

“Revali what did you do now? We have to—“ Link’s last words aren’t heard because a tremendous bellow comes from the mechanical bird, more of an animal cry as it registers to Revali that it’s rising off the ground and that his mother would definitely find out that they had broken curfew. Another thing registers in his brain and Link really doesn’t get why he isn’t getting freaked out. If Link had activated, Revali would be having a full-blown aneurysm.

“Wait does that mean I am the one that’s going to pilot this?” Revali questions more to himself than Link who groans at him as they’re increasingly speeding up towards the skyline.

The town is woken up from the commotion from how many cries of fear that the Calamity is upon them now that Link can hear. It would be funny if they weren’t in this situation. Revali is too caught up in his revelation and that this could finally make him recognized by all of Hyrule and not only Rito and Link can only grapple onto Revali’s arm as they cling to the terminal. Link coughs slightly at the change in altitude but slowly Vah Medoh stops in mid-air as if content it were in the skies again.

Revali keeps an eye on him. “You alright?” He was aware that the air pressure could be too much if done suddenly but it was more like it was the cold that affected Link. The Hylian hunched over and rubbed furiously at his arms, uncovered fingers frigid as his own breath and he was shaking that had Revali’s chest tighten at.

He couldn’t stand a pitiful Link.

“M’ cold.” Revali without a second thought wraps him in his scarf that has momentarily stopped his teeth from chattering. Revali prays that his dripping nose freezes the snot from getting onto it as he and Link look at the height they’re at from just a minute and how small and insignificant the village is down below.

Link whistles through closed teeth, piercing the night air. “Well Captain Revali what’s the next sort of action? Storm Ganon and save the world oh great hero?” Revali’s ego is dangerously close to becoming bigger as his feathers ruffled a little at the praise before they flattened at his snickering.

“Swab the decks or you’re going overboard. You have to earn being a first mate.” Link simply walked over to the edge and bent over with mock intent on doing just that, laughing. Revali laughed with him until a tremor ran through the Divine Beast that made him lose his footing. Not even a gasp escaped Link as he fell forwards, flipping over as he didn’t have his glider and desperately wished at that moment he had Revali’s Gale or whatever he named it.

“Link!” Revali flew after him and caught him before he was too far out of his reach as the other clambered to his back with a breathless thank you from his lips.

The two saw that Vah Medoh has purposely tilted to one side before it righted itself out as if nothing had occurred. Weary now, Revali stayed a safe distance away from it hovering.

“Did it just—eject you?” Revali gawked to Link who only shrugged. Though he couldn’t really look up he could hear the smile in Link’s voice as his arms went around his neck, his scarf tickling Revali’s beak and suddenly Link is too close because he can smell the soap he had used. His mind says that this is fine.

“While you may not be the hero of the world yet you’re a hero to me. Thank you for saving me.”

Revali could say the same for the other as it had been a countless amount of times that Link had saved his sorry self. Despite the numerous times, Link threw himself into danger it had always been for the benefit for others, never looking back. He could do it with no regrets and sometimes Revali was envious of it.

He wasn’t that arrogant really, only prideful because of how much work he did. He wasn’t born with talent, he just had to work at it to become great. It was a good guise, one he had worked hard to maintain.

So naturally, he took it into stride. “You’re welcome. Saving one person at a time though—“ he lets out an exaggerated breath, “it seems that I’m always saving only you.”

Link let out a laugh despite narrowly becoming a Wildberry Crepe and settled for playful nudging his shoulder into him and Revali hoped he can hide his grin from him.

Upon landing they were met with nearly the whole town and Gale was the very first person to greet them, not at all thrilled when looking to the pair and then up to Vah Medoh that was hanging above them.


	4. His Past and His Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme tell you every time I read my old chapters I die a bit inside. Old me was so dead set on sounding so smart and descriptive and articulated when honestly I just write unfiltered and raw. I didn’t change much besides fixing some exposition and continuity errors but let’s pretend that the last three chapters are okay. Shh, bear with me.

After getting a proper telling off from Gale and trying to appease her because as Revali put it “Well on the bright side I can defeat Ganon right?” that gained him a wing upside the head from his mother and a jab of an elbow from Link. Revali only frowned because he was speaking the truth. The emergence of the beast had something in him excited, something that Link noticed from how he was still going on about he was the chosen one to pilot it. Even if Revali was the best of the Rito, maybe this could be a second calling.

Afterward, she had taken off to discuss matters with the Elder while the two of them were stuck back at home, no leeway even if they had activated an old slumbering hunk of primitive rock. For now, they were chained to the house until at least morning, no more nightly adventuring whatsoever that had Revali fuming.

“She can’t keep us in this nest forever we’re at an age where we can see the world, explore the skies and see where it takes us.” Link sat in his bed sublimely sending Revali the message he wanted to sleep although Revali didn’t get the memo as he paced around his room. 

Never once had Revali talked about leaving Rito Village, perfectly happy in their corner of the world because who else would be the best of the Rito if he wasn’t? Yet maybe his worldview was expanding from how he had connected with Vah Medoh and conventionally being the Rito age of adulthood, he could venture out there. Not that Link minded if anything it was a good thing that the other opened his eyes a bit wider to see the world fully.

“Right now we should be figuring out how to work her. See why she rejected us.”

“Her?” Link’s brow automatically rose up and Revali stopped his pacing to redirect his attention to the other.

“Medoh, yes her.”

Link chuckles. “Y’know I was kidding about being a captain, only old men with the love of the sea refer to their ships as ‘her’. Usually, they’re head over heels in love with their ships too.”

Revali wanted to tell him that Vah Medoh felt alive only because it felt like there truly was a soul powering the automotive and that it wanted to be recognized as a ‘she’. But how could something like that be alive?

“Oh shut up,” Revali says instead to Link and still continues with his grievances, Link listening and giving one-worded agreements. Revali has always been the one to be loud about his thoughts and even louder in his insults. A stark contrast with how Link coped with everything, bottling it all away from even himself. It’s something that would never change about Link, so selfless in his ways but for Link, it was hard to let something internalized out after being trained so much not to. They lapsed into contemplation, an easy one until Link spoke.

“Do you think…they’ll find the hero of legend? The ones that all the books talk about?” Link glances down at the dirt under his chipped nails and Revali ponders with him.

Hylians loved their old lore about predestination and fate, how everything was so set in stone and the hero that was supposed to unite all the pilots of the Divine Beasts to beat the Calamity. Even throughout Rito, they had heard of the legends in so many various renditions and how there was a sole person that was to seal the darkness in their lands, only with the sword on their back with the aid of Hylia’s blessing. A goddess born blade and there were even rumors that the princess herself had been born with Hylia’s grace (or was Hylia’s incarnate herself) though Revali knew how Hylians revered their princess and spun around their tales.

“Don’t you think they’d have found him by now? For all we know maybe he’s taking a hundred-year nap from how often the Goddess calls on him to clean up Hyrule’s accidents.”

Link pushes him lightly, shoulder bumping into his. “Careful now. You could be flying, going about your own business and Hylia could smite you out of the sky just for saying that. She doesn’t take kindly to non-believers.”

Revali would like to see the Goddess above try. At the moment the high and mighty Goddess seemed to be only capable of letting someone not possessing godly powers to take on the responsibility of what a deity should do. But right now she was silent and so was the hero. Supposedly even the princess had heard so much as nothing said to her and Revali knew how much the princess worshipped her, along with many hopeful others.

All the heroes of old, they had all been of very young ages and it was unmissable that many of them if not all had been male and of Hylian descent. Perhaps, Link, was one of them or someone in his lineage had been long, long ago…

*

After moping inside for a few days they’re let out of the house, Gale said that they aren’t allowed to go to Vah Medoh just yet as a messenger had been sent to Hyrule to inform the king of the reawakening of the mechanical beast and that the last pilot had been found.

Something in Revali is confuddled and furling around his heart when staring up and seeing Medoh up in the air, no signs of coming down anytime soon. Being banned from getting onto it again left the two to take a retreat to the range, where the winds had subsided enough for Revali to take his many flights. Link sanded down his bow, testing out the firmness of the wood to the plunking that the string made when he drew back from it. It isn’t as good as Revali’s craft but it’s for him, fitting nicely in his hands.

Watching the other he leaped down with his paraglider, his shoes trudging in the snow, completed bow on his back.

Revali was panting, talking to himself and Link supposed that he would always be talking even if there was no one there to listen to it. The Rito warrior was bowed to the icy grounds, wings tapered out and then flew upwards as wisps of a powerful current swept him up. Link brings his arm up as he skims his eyes through the horizon, Revali afloat but wobbling in the fast-moving cyclone he made.

Breaking from the crest of it, Revali takes his arrows into hand, bow clutched in his taloned feet. Hyper-aware that Link was watching him, he strings a trio of bomb arrows in a row to see them fly off and hit target. However, he hadn’t taken in the abruptness from the clashing air and his wings have him going askew as he tried to circumvent the winds. Down below there’s a shout as Link motions to rotate his body and Revali follows through the motion and has a better landing despite getting bodied by the earth.

Link goes over to him, crouching as he takes his hand. Revali feigns dumbness like he doesn’t see the tense worry on the other. “From the constant nagging about getting myself killed you really should worry about yourself first.” He takes out a clump of snow as Revali slaps his hands away. “How many broken wings have you had this past year?”

“Plenty enough to know this isn’t broken,” Revali retorts because his wings were in great shape, just like the rest of his sore body. His pride in failing his execution wasn’t.

It’s then that he sees Link’s bow.

“To the sweet skies of Hyrule, is that a bow?” Taking it off his back and paying no mind to Link’s grabby hands because he still was taller than him and his wingspan was longer than his stubby arms, he looked it over clinically.

“Well—you said it yourself that what sort of archer doesn’t make his own bow? Besides, you make them by yourself so I thought I could try my hand at it.” Link was more bashful now to see Revali taking what he made with a soft grasp despite the hard look in his eyes. Even if it was a poor attempt it was the first try and something that he could call his own and that Revali could respect. It was true, Revali had plenty of his first tries at bows still on his walls and although they weren’t pretty and nowhere as good as his current bow, they were his.

It could be taken as a bad imitation although when Revali really glared at it, which he was, he could see traces of Link in it. Scored into the wood was its name, Link’s Bow, that had Revali biting back a laugh at. The green that he had painted it is because Revali knows that it’s his favorite color even if he had never said it aloud.

“If you wanted me to make you one you could have just asked.” Link looks like he’s about to say something else and he interjects, handing it back, “But it’s suitable. You made it after all so it’s well enough to be used.”

It’s a welcomed surprise, the praise he incites from Revali because the other never gave out compliments unless he had some other things, mainly about him being better and so on. Yet Revali says nothing and instead shows him his back, view up into the clouds and Link thinks that the fall had hurt more than his body. Link stays quiet as he watches his friend’s plight too many times to count on his hands alone.

Shouldering off his bruised pride and puts his wings down again, he felt the building up of the air below him. Link stands off to the side and sees Revali had gotten too overconfident to where he miscalculated and gets caught up in the vortex, spinning around it. This time Link can’t save him from the fall as Revali lands belly first and groans as Link kneels to him again, this time wordlessly helping him up. Revali grunts but doesn’t push Link’s hands this time around, subjecting himself to it until they both hear clapping.

A girl with a pristine ivory horse and dressed in Snowquill put her hands down and Revali sees the royal ensemble trailing behind her. The guards regarded both of them and from the drawings, he’s seen in books and down at the stables sometimes, he knows that she’s Princess Zelda. Not that she needed to wear a crown, Zelda had some sort of presence to her that announced her heritage. Revali flushes because she wasn’t actually clapping at that horrible excuse of showmanship.

“Oh wow, that was sublimely amazing!” That confirms it, Revali wanted the ground to swallow him up because what part of that was amazing. Crashlanding into the snow is nothing but ungraceful. Link chokes on his chuckle and coughs into his hand, Revali scowling at him. “That’s your Gale if I’m not mistaken?”

“A work in progress,” he says as modest as he could and Link snubs his talons with his boot because they were presently addressing royalty and had to act like they were. Revali hooks a talon into Link’s ankle that had the other giving him the stink-eye and Revali only smiles.

Zelda didn’t seem to notice at all as she instead seemed more interested in the boy by his side. Link himself is flustered but for a different reason. The two exchange eyes and Revali was left out of the loop as he stares between the both of them.

“Link is that you?” Zelda darts up to them as the guards themselves seem to realize who the boy really is. It’s then that Revali remembers so far back on how Link’s father had been in the royal guard as the boy nodded, reverting to his cautious self and looking down. It had been years and the duty of a guard was still present in him, something that he would never truly forget no matter where he was.

“Oh, it’s been ages. I was afraid that I would never see you again!” The princess was thrilled as she holds Link’s hands into hers before letting go and composing herself, spying the knights behind her.

Revali watched their interaction finding it quite interesting and somewhat confusing. The boy seemed to have frozen over from how stiff he had become and for that reason it also had Revali peeved.

“Link you knew the princess?” Of course he knew the princess, Revali wanted to kick himself at even saying that. He had been born into the royal guards and he would have seen Zelda because he would be guarding her. His father had probably taken him to the castle and introduced them. The boy glances to him as if he had forgotten he was there and it stings but Revali is thinking selfishly not caring even if it had been a decade since they had last seen the other. If she had cared so much why hadn’t she written him a letter or looked for him?

Zelda’s grin is as golden as her hair. “Oh yes! We use to play in the courtyard and Link would try to teach me how to sword fight sometimes and often accompany me somewhere. We would get into so much trouble but it had been much fun when we had been younger.”

The fond wistfulness in her tone lets Revali know that they had been at the very least—very close. Maybe even best friends. But Link was his, best friend now. Unless best friends could be shared, and Revali wasn’t known for sharing even if she was the princess. Link had let a smile pass on his features briefly like he thinks about those memories too.

“Now!” She turns to Revali who stares at her. “You’re the last one we had to find to have roused Vah Medoh. With that, you can meet the others who are at the castle who are currently gathered when I had received the news.”

He had been the last one? No wonder the kingdom had been sending scouts to search for anymore viable for the beast and going through every Rito adult. While he was still caught up in that he had been last and not at all pleased with what that insinuated, Zelda then focused on Link.

“And Link you are to come also! You are our hero, we can’t lose you again!” The boy could be a statue as the girl stepped towards him, inspecting him from head to toe. “You are of the boy legends past, of whom our ancestors have prophesied. Your parents must have known and that is why the sword had chosen you to wield it.” Zelda giggles, good-heartedly. “Though you must have heard it a thousand times over.”

Revali couldn’t really believe what she just said. The pair were silent as Zelda eagerly looked to them, no words of rejoicing despite that Revali had been joking about the same divination. It hadn’t even been a week since Revali awoke Medoh and here Link was crowned sole defender of Hyrule. Their fates had been chosen, sealed and even if they were to become legends, something in Revali whispered that it would go wrong. He pushed his doubts aside like all the other times he had done before, he’d prove everyone and himself wrong.

“That sword had found its way to you by sheer luck and it had been the previous hero’s sword and before him and the many others before you. That is the sword to seal this Calamity and all the darkness that is beginning to plague Hyrule.” Her eyes went over to his hip before back to his face. “Where is it?”

Link gives no verbal answer but his expression is enough and worry coats the princess’s face as she steps back. The snow fell around them and Revali was briefly chilled, not by the coolness. Her frosted breath fans across her pinkened face, obviously not expecting him not to have it.

“How troubling…perhaps it’s been returned to its resting place in the Lost Woods where the Great Deku Tree sleeps.” She cupped her chin, brows furrowed in her thinking as if ransacking her brain for a correct answer. “Though no one really knows as most people get…lost. Hence the name.” She clears her throat. “Anyway we can figure it out but for now we should go to the castle! We have plenty of training to do.”

Revali didn’t like the sound of that and neither did Link if his pinched face was anything to go off of. The flight range had been made from both Revali and Link and it had taken a while to make it, their sort of hideout and to leave it didn’t sit well.

Before she could corral them out and back into town, Revali held out his hand to stop her. Link immediately knew what he was planning on. While Zelda was perplexed but she stopped, Link thinking that he really wasn’t going to—

“If we must go so urgently may I humbly ask to practice one more time? To stretch my wings.” Link can hear the sarcasm in his voice and nearly tramples back onto his talons again because Zelda doesn’t know him well enough to know that he’s trying to prod at her.

Link however did.

Link knew how determined Revali could be, but they were personally invited and that meant they were to be expected in the palace, no doubt that the king was also awaiting them. His father said never to keep anyone waiting, much less royalty and their guests and the unwarranted memories made his stomach churn. Going to Hyrule was going to bring back a lot of unwarranted memories if just seeing Zelda made his chest ache.

“I can’t see why not? It wouldn’t hurt if it’s just for a minute.”

Link could tell that Revali was pushing himself further than he would have liked but stopped himself from saying anything. Instead, he watched. Readying himself again, Revali bent his wings downwards, eyes shut in total concentration. His wings channeled a torrent of wind, whisking Link’s braids as Revali took to the sky. Stray feathers were shaken loose but in the eye of the whirlwind, Revali soared up higher than he had before to where Link had to squint. Either this was to impress or to get it right or both knowing Revali.

Eyes locked, Revali arrow’s hit true before he did another launch into the air, flying and hitting each and every target. Zelda had already been impressed and Link smiled when Revali gave a mockery of a bow. “Impressive, I know. Only a true Rito warrior can master the ways of the sky.” Link points to his quiver.

Revali sees that he had used up all his bomb arrows but it had been worth it. To see that he could finally get consecutive shots and not take time to struggle to regain control over the air was priceless.

“For the price of perfection, it’s not that much Link. I’ll just make some more.” Link stares at him before he goes over to Zelda signing ‘he’s very annoying but he grows on you’.

The princess giggles and Revali is confused by why Link was reverting to sign language when they mostly did that at home, away from others but doesn’t point it out, not in front of the princess at least.

*

Gale greeted the princess and Revali translated what she said to Zelda. Her guardsmen were outside because the roosts were cramped enough as they were, standing below the winding staircase of the town. Only after they had left had Zelda insisted to be called only by her name, not her title. Gale seemed to like her more for saying that.

Zelda was taken aback when seeing her signing. “Oh, I didn’t know that Link had been taken in by a mute? It must have made him feel better since he doesn’t speak as well.”

Revali’s present frown deepened. Link being a mute? Maybe when he had been his timid younger self but he was rather chatty if the right words were said to him. Before Gale could sign anything else Link ascended up from downstairs, gathering things for their trip. He had always been a bit of a hoarder, the bulging pack near bursting that has him bending with every way it swayed.

Gale ushers him to the side, presumably to lighten his load and say her personal goodbye as Link had found someone who knew him from the past and Revali is left hosting the princess, nestled rather comfortably in his home.

There is something that alludes him though, maybe the dynamics of her’s and Link’s relationship or why he’s playing mute in front of this girl because surely it couldn’t be because of his lack of courage. This girl that happens to appear right after one of his greatest triumphs, waking the beast and having perfected his technique. Maybe their relationship was deeper than platonic and that’s what they’re keeping secret and for some unforsaken reason, it pricked into him, from that thought passing by. Revali knows that it will linger later and he chases it away for now.

When Link returns, he holds a sword in one hand loosely and its one that Revali hasn’t seen him ever hold before. Tucked between his leather armor and his Snowquill is the unopened letter that was addressed to him, hidden. He hasn’t opened it yet.

Zelda springs up, a bounciness to her as she scrutinizes the blade. Revali is more interested in Link, his quietness more intrusive and noticeable as the boy stares and stares but doesn’t meet his gaze, not until he puts the blade strapped to his hip. He’s uncertain and Revali knows that it’s both from the princess and the aforementioned sword. Even if he isn’t the one touching it, Revali senses that there was a spirit in there like there was one in Vah Medoh.

“Well that’s odd it’s missing its sheath…but the sword is now in the right hands. That’s more than I could ask for.” Zelda is by the door as she looks to Gale. “Thank you for your hospitality!” Gale nods at her before giving a hug to both Revali and Link.

‘You two have already done so much. And Link though I have never said it, I consider you as much of a son as Revali is to me.’ The relationship between Link and Gale was as parental as it could get even if they never had acknowledged that. No words needed to be said on that as Gale knew that Link’s family would always be there and he could always consider her as his too.

Link solemnly returned the hug, letting go first and Revali wonders what conversation had transpired between the two.

As they head down the stairs, Link saddles the horses with his and Revali’s belongings as the Hylian princess had informed the two that they were to reside in the castle. To get to know the others that had unlocked their beasts meant Revali had to make friends that had him dreading it. How long they were staying, she hadn’t disclosed yet but from how Link had packed his entire room in his bag, Revali thinks for a while. He hopes the others are competent enough that it wouldn’t take years to go back home.

“Oh, Link you aren’t going to ride on a horse?” The boy shakes his head and scoots closer to Revali and Revali understands. Zelda follows and smiles. “It would make sense that you’re more used to flying now.”

As they headed off, Revali makes sure that Link is safe enough on his back before taking off. Link’s hands are cold, but his eyes are colder and wisely that’s when Revali talks to him after staying silent himself.

“So what’s with this little lie about you being a mute around the princess?” The flaps of his wings stir the cold to buffet around them and distinctly he can feel Link’s hands burrow into his neck, by his scarf.

“...It isn’t a lie.” His voice is hushed, a harsh whisper that Revali may have not heard if it wasn’t for the late afternoon skyline being so oddly quiet. “My voice locks up because I use to get so overwhelmed and seeing her again made it happen. I thought I had gotten over it.” Link’s voice dwindles and Revali suddenly feels bad for asking, guilty. “Training to become a knight and being told that my whole life that I’m supposed to save Hyrule sort of…shut me up.”

Revali had heard of similar things, stress or trauma that affected people and with Link’s straining voice he believes it even more. Most people that had gone to war had been affected in ways he could never understand but he understands Link and he knows that he hadn’t gone to war just yet.

“I thought you would be thrilled,” his voice is tentative because he’s aware of how often he talked about wanting to be a hero, becoming someone worthy to be remembered even after years to come. Now he wonders if he did anything to make Link feel that way. His conversation from the night before made sense now. Maybe Link hadn’t wanted to be found.

Link stays quiet and Revali wonders if he’s pushed too far, if his talking was pressuring him but his voice is a bit stronger, with more vindication.

“I was born into it just as I was born to be the hero. From birth everything was to be expected of me, nothing short of the best.” Link rubs his hands into Revali’s feathers as if it would bring him comfort, buffet him from everything. “But after Dad and Mom died and I met you…” Revali pretends that he isn’t hanging off his words and isn’t impatient. “...you shared with me so many things, showed me that I didn’t have to be just one thing. Your dedication said a lot. That I could be more, do more than just be a knight that had one sole duty to carry out.” Link stares off into the approaching stars, face nuzzled into his back that Revali’s skin flares at the contact at.

“That I was enough and I felt so happy that I could be myself again.”

Revali really doesn’t know why he’s so hot from Link’s admissions, maybe from his sincerity. He hadn’t realized how complex Link’s muteness had been and he steers on before he speaks again.

“I wasn’t aware you had so much inner turmoil.” Revali should have noticed and he was again kicking himself.

“...It’s not something that I like saying, things like that are a sign of weakness. Weakness is unbecoming.” Revali sees him from the corner of his eye that he’s teary-eyed and he’s tempted to stop flying and take them back and call it a day. Pressuring so much on a child and deciding their fate, he was coming to have a bitter taste in his mouth from more of this cursed prophecy.

“That sword though. You really don’t like it? You know how much I treasure my bow and arrows and the like but when you were given that it looked like you were handed a dead fish to eat.” Link chuckles at his phrasing but sobers when the sword is brought up.

Link looks at his hands, the whitened scars that stripe across his skin and the callouses that he’s gotten from years of training. Several still hurt though mostly from thinking from years ago. Most of the scars are from that sword.

“I didn’t hate it first. I was excited because who didn’t want to be a hero and save the day.” Link steadies himself because it still hurts even after all these years. “But the training was more than enough to make me cry so many nights in bed and the way everyone stared at me made me begin to hate it. I never told you much about my parents but they took my fate so seriously that they forgotten who I really was.” Link breathes in as Revali listens and Link realizes it’s therapeutic how their roles had reversed and maybe he should talk more, maybe that’s why Revali talked so much to let off steam.

“Once I threw the sword into a lake because I was sick of the sight of it. I had to go diving for it and without my dinner. I caught the worst cold.” Revali winces but Link thinks more of it in a melancholic dream than fresh wounds.

“For years…there’s something sealed in there. I don’t know what but it kept calling me when we became separated.” Link stares down and sees the small spots of the royal party where the sword is. Link knows there’s so much blood on that sword and there was more blood spilled from it and the sword let him know that, another burden for the next hero.

“All those years that it was kept away, it…it kept calling out for me but I blocked it out for some time.” Link tugs at a strand that had come apart from his hair. “When I was given it back, I could still hear it but I’m just too tired to listen to it anymore.” Not that the blade talked to him, more like it made him feel things that cut through him. It didn’t need to verbalize pain and instead, it hurt him, drawing on his life to fully be used.

Revali soaks all of this information in as Link had said everything that had plagued his mind. Revali let him because he had ranted so many times to Link, that he should return the favor. He can tell Link is despondent for now and the more he prolongs it the more dangerous his thoughts could get so Revali offers comfort in the one sure way he can.

“Are you sure you’re Link?” Revali tips to the side that has Link’s heart beating up, can feel it even from the layers of clothing separating them. “Because he wouldn’t admit that.”

Link hastily wipes at his eyes. “I can admit my flaws and get stronger on it. Besides would you want to be the one to take on this mantle?”

Revali a day ago would have answered yes, without any hesitation and second-guessing but now he didn’t know. Since he was the most adept out of the archers where else did that leave him? Where would he go from there? Revali didn’t want to think further about it. So instead he gave him what he did know.

“I’ll be the one piloting Vah Medoh. I don’t think I have enough hands to do that and single-handedly use that sword. But if you really don’t want that sword—“

“It’s not that I don’t want it. It’s just that I hate how it makes people view me because of it. I hated when people stared at me, people had feared me without even knowing me first.” Link grips his hands in his feathers and they both share a moment of pain, Revali wincing but he isn’t going to tell Link. “That I was something already they had decided without even hearing me.” Revali flies on for a few seconds.

He knew his aversion for staring, Link had always seemed to dislike if someone looked at him for so long but didn’t know there was a reason for it. He had thought it was a symptom of shyness. Now he can tell now it’s more deep-rooted, something more ugly than simple shyness.

“If anyone stares at you for too long you can always call on me. Then I can stare them down until they learn manners.” Revali glances at him to see that his eyes are no longer glassy, a strong resolution behind them. That reassured him that Link would be alright, that he was okay for now. “Besides they should gaze upon my glory as I am the greatest rito warrior they’ll bear witness to.” Link snorts at him and Revali knows that he’s lightening up.

With some of that pressure off of him, Link huddles onto him, hand wrapping into his scarf and even if it’s temporary and not much, Revali is glad that he had comforted him and had said all those things that had burdened him. Even if Link may not wish for it, Revali could share the burden with him if it made him feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link hating that he’s subjected to be the next hero so much that the stress makes him lose his voice? It’s a medical disorder that happens when you’re super stressed out and honestly, Link would definitely have that. We get to meet the Champions next chapter! Updates may be slow but I'm not abandoning this fic.


	5. Fearful Distance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I tweaked a couple of things about canon, only to fit the narrative better. Like where the Divine Beasts are found, the Champions meeting, etc. Buckle up because this chapter and the next is full of dialogue. And it’s a few more chapters until we get to present times when the story takes place.

“You won’t tell the others about it right?” Link says to him when they’re nearing the castle after two days or so in traveling.

It’s weird seeing Link talk so animatedly with him and then speak only with his hands to the princess, the duality enough to make Revali’s head spin. Sometimes Revali had to translate some things between them if it was a word the princess couldn’t decipher. From the hand sign book that she had her head buried in, she was none the wiser.

“Do you really need to ask?” At Link’s puppy-eyed look Revali rolls his eyes as best as he could when they’re flying. “Yes I won’t tell them, don’t get your tail feathers ruffled now.”

Satisfied, Link peers down at the outcropping landscapes, nostalgia filling his chest at the sights. When they’ve come closer they can see hulking pieces of rock similar to Vah Medoh though they’re different animals. They’re silent near the castle as if they’re too had been waiting. They’ve come upon Castle Town and Revali had swept down upon the request of Zelda. To rest his wings and to familiarize themselves with the place they’ll be staying around for a while, safe within the castle walls. The civilians had stopped their daily bustle, out greeting their princess and as they saw Revali and Link whispers arose. Link was tight-lipped and Revali did his best to take their attention off of him, not that he minded.

The castle itself is nothing short of magnificent but when entering Revali sees how seemingly empty it is, how uninhabited it feels even with all the sentries posted around or the king’s people milling about. It’s nothing like home and Revali is already missing it.

In the biggest palace room he’s seen, it was where they’re being led and when the doors open, they are met with a hefty swarm of Hyrule upper class, many kingsmen and lastly the others. The three stare at them but it’s nothing compared to the majesty’s steely gaze.

Revali thinks that they’d interrupted something very important but when the doors were shut behind them, he realized that they had been waiting for them. There’s a moment of nervousness and when he glances over to Link he almost takes a double-take when he sees that Link is knelt, subservient. It’s almost as if Link himself had been reawakened, memory serving him to where he knew how to act appropriately like he had been taught.

“So the Hero of Time is alive after all these years.” The king booms as the surrounding crowd of knights and Hyrule citizens blustered because while they had expected another pilot they hadn’t expected the young hero as well. “Rise Link. I remember your father’s services quite well, he was a valiant man.”

Link rises to his feet but doesn’t look up just yet. Unconsciously, Revali steps towards him if subtlety but all eyes are on them.

“So you are the last of the Champions?” Champions, is that was what they were? Revali did like how that sounded, considering the circumstances. “Well now upon your arrival we can begin this.”

It was a lengthy process and after when it was said and done, Revali thinks that he couldn’t stand through another ceremony as they’ll let out into the halls and up into the Champions’ shared recreational room. This castle is large enough to host an entire army but he’s still disbelieving the size of the place where they are expected to live in. His knees were pinched from how much standing they did and the scarf around his neck, wasn’t the same as the one from home. He sniffs and the floral notes of Zelda’s perfume are still lodged into it. The champions made small talk behind him, though not to Link or him as they asked Zelda about her travels. To be fair, they did know each other for the grand total of one day.

Urbosa, the Gerudo Chieftain seems the most at ease along with the Lord Daruk, both from the hottest places in Hyrule. Revali figures that it's the weather had made them as they were, unwavering and so robust. Though that could be because they were both adults unlike the rest of them, having experienced war many times over. Mipha, another princess from a high lineage, is a quiet girl and gives a small but honied smile.

Link had left but came back, wearing his blue tunic and it had remarkably fit him despite that Zelda hadn’t taken his measurements. Now that he thought about it, his scarf fit him and he ponders if Zelda would know that a Rito and Hylian would be selected to be a champion.

“These were made to show that you are worthy, that you are champions although my father explained that.” Zelda turns to them and it’s as if she had read his mind. “It’s enchanted from the Great Fairies so they should fit and it will mend if it were ever damaged in any way. Do wash them though.”

What did she think they were, barbarians?

With that Zelda leaves them to attend to her father and for the two champions to get acquainted with the castle and the remaining champions.

“So you two are the new recruits? Welcome aboard. I pilot Vah Naboris though that should be made obvious,” Urbosa has her hands on her hips and her midriff is imposing as she is.

“I hadn’t expected you two to be as young as the princesses here.” Daruk sighs. “It makes me feel old surrounded by all these youngsters.” Urbosa knocks her hip into him and he smiles back at her.

“It is a pleasure to meet you two after all this time waiting.” Mipha presses her hands together, fidgeting.

Revali likes that they were informal around them, no need to say all of their titles because he knows that he would stick out. Unlike the others that are from royal families, he was from an ordinary background. Link though? He isn’t so sure about now if he could be called ordinary since he was the hero that would be the one vanquishing the oncoming Calamity.

“The name is Revali, the Best of the Rito and this is Link the second Best of the Rito.” Despite that he had shed his Rito clothing, he still had his headdress behind his ears. Revali thinks that the heat rubies would make him feel stuffy but knows that Link probably didn’t take it off to keep a piece of their home to remember by. Revali had Link with him and when seeing the familiar headdress, he didn’t feel as homesick as before.

“You’re the one to seal away the darkness. The one to end it all,” Mipha intoned, serenely taking in his features. Link nods, signing and she confusedly looks at him, not understanding.

Not many knew of this language and from the looks of the others told him that they had none of Revali’s knowledge. Urbosa was clueless if not sympathetic and Daruk scratches his head to why the Hylian was doing that. Link stops and stares up imploringly at Revali and he sighs.

“I grew up with Link and a mother whose mute. I advise that we all learn sign language so you can all understand him.” Link smiles up at him and that makes it worth it. “And Mipha he says that you have nothing to fear.”

“O-Oh I hadn’t known you...” the regal princess is reddened, matching her scales and she does the tick to where she looks down and rubs her hands, shuffling a bit away out of embarrassment. Good naturedly Link gives a small smile and Revali has a premonition that he’s going to be relied on as a translator in the next days coming.

“Link and I grew up together and I can confirm he takes no offense. He’s quite an okay guy if I do say so myself.” Revali brings up his wing, leaning towards them, loudly whispering in a conspiratorial voice. “Don’t tell him this, but I do think he talks too much.” Link signs something rude at him and Revali laughs at his expense. He sees that the others are waiting to see what he means.

“He said something rather rude just now.” Link huffs and the others laugh then that had him relaxing and Revali thinks that it was already feeling like a second home, taking pleasure in seeing the pink tips of Link's ears.

*

All of them spent time swapping stories of their homeland, what foods were the most delicious, and the intricacies of their Divine Beasts. As Revali and Link had found out that upon the next pilot’s touch, it would shut anyone and even the pilot out until the Sheikah slate was inserted. It was what authenticated the beast and brought it back under total control and Revali thinks it really was like taming a wild beast.

For the most part, Link stayed mostly silent, every now and then answering a question if it was directed at him. Most were about the sword, what his family was like, how did he and Revali know each other so well? Painful memories, if not all of them that had Link’s old personality resurfacing. Speak unless spoken to, Revali watched as Link glanced at him before getting up when Zelda called for him.

Even if Link was the Hylian Champion Revali couldn’t help but wonder where his Divine Beast was. Then again, the sword was enough for him to handle. Maybe he was given a secondary title not to feel left out.

Night seeped in and they all retired to their rooms when Link walked alongside Revali, not saying a single word, even if no one else was in the hallways. The walls had ears as Revali had seen many of knights and the king’s subjects in and out for another celebration for themselves so Link would keep his mouth shut.

Getting to his room Revali sees that it’s the customary mattress that he’s going to have to get used to. He sorely misses his hammock and from how the bed isn’t too comfortable, the feathers aren’t from Rito. From how the other champions had spoken, they had been there for a few months and had fewer days of reprieve. It was nonstop preparing for a war that was upon them and Revali knew that they were all slightly stressed. When closing the door, Link’s mask fell away and Revali is remembering that he had more emotions than just being stoic.

“Just because I’m mute out there doesn’t mean you can take advantage of that,” Link sullenly says as Revali is unpacking his things that the kingsmen had brought.

“If I am going to be your translator for the next few days, I will be taking some liberties.” Revali eyes a notepad at the provided desk. Probably to write letters home, at least they were being thoughtful about keeping them prisoners here. “You can also write too, can’t you? Now Rito and Hylian so you can’t be too reliant on me now.”

Link was never reliant but he was forced to depend on him since the others couldn’t quite understand him, just yet. Link says nothing as he looks to the pad and then out to the opened window where a full moon is hanging. The townspeople are still celebrating late in the nighttime at the safe return of their princess and their hero along with the five champions. Festive music from the instruments float to the window and Link would join them if not for his notoriety. Instead, he watches from afar, far from all of them.

Revali puts up his bows and arrows, takes out his pile of books and a change of clothes. Later he could organize them but the sight of them made him tired. It had been a long day, traveling and being forced to stand through that tedious ceremony before catching up with the others and he was in dire need of sleep.

“So where are you sleeping?” The champions rooms were close to one another for convenience and Link seems downcasted at his question. Revali doesn’t like that. “You do have a room right?”

Link sighs. “Since I am a knight we sleep down in the garrison. Most of us don’t have belongings due to it being a privilege and even if you’re a guard some can be dishonorable and steal things.” Revali supposed there is no honor among thieves, especially if you’re supposed to be something honorable.

“But aren’t you Zelda’s appointed knight? You must have a room by yourself right?” Revali stands beside him and looks down at the courtyard and then to the town. Though not as beautiful as Rito, it did have its charms and he wonders what Hylian food would be like and if they could taste as good as homemade meals. He hadn’t had dinner yet. “How will you talk to them when they don’t understand sign language?”

Link shrugs, still staring out at the town. “As knights, it’s basic to know how to talk with your hands. But,” Link smiles and Revali knows that he had worried for nothing. “Since I’m now a champion and have the sword, I have my own room. Also, yes I am Zelda’s appointed knight so I’ll have to stay on watch until the next guard shift.”

Revali doesn’t like the idea of Link staying up so late or that he so readily took back the job of a guard. However, he didn’t know how to voice it, and it comes out, not nicely.

“Seems like while you’ll be prancing around playing a guard I’ll be teaching others how to talk to you.” There’s a tremble in Link’s smile and Revali wants to take it back. “Not that I mind, obviously.”

It doesn’t lessen the blow, Revali should have known that by now. Link doesn’t seem offended but his smile had faded to more of a sadder one.

“I won’t be playing guard Revali.” Link’s tone is hesitant and Revali doesn’t like it at all. It sounds like when they had talked up in the skies before when Link was clearly hurting. Revali was clearly contributing to some of that and he looks away, can’t stand or understand the look in Link’s eyes. No comfort could console him, not this time. “Besides from what I heard, we’ll be doing group activities tomorrow. Goodnight.”

Before anything else can be said, he walks out and Revali feels the worst. The goodnight to him is more of a farewell.

Already Link has gotten back to Hyrule and the memories were overwhelming him. Link fisted a hand in the tunic’s fabric at his chest as if it could stop the pain there before going to stand outside of Zelda’s room for the long hours ahead. He couldn’t allow himself to be weak now.

It isn’t until hours later when Revali is tossing his sheets over and not sleeping that he realizes that the headdress Link has worn was no longer there.

It troubles Revali for the entirety of the night. Maybe he did have to worry.

*

As Zelda handed them their schedules, Revali could see that they were all weak in some areas, even he was. There were barely any days off for any of them and Revali wondered how often he would be sending letters than seeing his mother in person. He’d have to get used to holding Hylian pens to write…

Link’s schedule had no days off whatsoever and when Revali asked the princess, it was because knights could choose a few days of absence to their liking upon the approval of her. Whether it be sick leave or for the holidays, Revali supposes that a knights job was always protecting and there are no days to rest.

“Now then. Since both Link and Revali have joined us just yesterday, we’ll see how stellar their skills are.” From the anticipation in their eyes, Revali knew that he had to impress them if not for the sake of being the best. Had to prove himself, make his home proud and that was more than enough motivation.

Link went first, blade sluicing through the training dummies, efficient and effortless as if he had practiced with that sword all his life even with the years of neglect that had happened. Link seemed surprised at himself, though no one else could see the small change besides Revali. His swordsmanship was impeccable and when moving to other weapons he was formidable until he got to archery. It was natural for Link to put three arrows into the bow, and he tunes out the gasps as he let go. Revali grinned to himself, as it had been a move he had gifted to Link. He was the founder of those moves and to have it appreciated felt good. Two of them hit the target while the other one skimmed the outer ring. He frowned and Revali knew why he had missed the last one.

“Link isn’t used to doing it on the ground. Usually, he’s up in the sky.”

“That’s amazing! But—how?” Mipha whipped her head to them, head-tail swishing with her movement. “He can’t fly.”

“He can’t. But I can.” They all look at him, slow understanding forming. “Link and I do a lot of things together,” the flush in Link’s face doesn’t go unnoticed, “and fighting is one of them.”

Revali goes over to him, whispering into his ear. “I could summon my Gale and you could use it to soar up.” Link shook his head and Revali realized that he didn’t want the attention as Revali liked, everyone staring at them and he backs off.

“I can demonstrate my Gale and you can all see how wonderful it is.” At the pique of everyone besides the two Hylians, Revali conjured up the wind to bend to his will.

It did and Revali soared up to immense heights, the air bending differently as he righted himself. He guessed since it was because of the altitude difference and made a note of it, changing his positioning. Though he had used up his bomb arrows, Link had swiped some fire arrows from the garrison that would be adequate enough. Pulling back the string, he let go and saw that all of them had landed.

When he hit the ground, the others praised him and Revali preened under it. There was a tiny grin on Link’s face and Revali gave him an over-exaggerated bow of grandeur that had him stifling a chuckle. It was then that Zelda informed them that all of them had a unique ability. Mipha could heal wounds, even to where they shouldn’t be healed, Daruk had a fortress of a safeguard that was impenetrable and Urbosa could summon lightning from the heavens. They didn’t have to demonstrate like Revali had as it wouldn’t be ideal to start showering Hyrule with lightning bolts.

“These amazing abilities, perhaps they’re a gift from Hylia herself. She had deemed you all deserving of it.” Zelda said and Revali couldn’t really believe that. He had spent his life polishing a move that he dreamed up, it had been his pure toil that he had gotten it himself and it was not the Goddess. Nonetheless, he doesn’t say anything as Zelda writes down her assessments and they go into the real exercises as that had been a warm-up.

Everything was a team effort and while Revali worked well with Link, he didn’t work well enough with the others. Communication was something he let Link handle but since no one could really talk to him he was forced to talk to the others. It was tiresome but Link signed to him multiple times over to be nice, _be nicer_ —and he groaned.

“We’ll be piloting the Divine Beasts what purpose is it for us to do these things?” They were all taking a break, Link seated beside him.

Sweaty-banged, Link glanced around to see the others were too absorbed gulping down their water. The sunlight was harsh and Mipha doused herself with some of it, telling Zelda that her skin reacted with arid climates, the other champions crowded around her out of concern. All of them had been exhausted and not at all taking a liking to Revali’s humor or his ways of encouragement.

“It’s for cooperation. What if the Divine Beasts fail? Then we can only rely on the other,” Link murmurs, before hiding his lips behind his water skin. He held it to his lips but doesn’t drink. “Everything and every one has its reason Revali, no matter how pointless it may seem.” Revali can’t disagree with him because when did he get so wise and sad-eyed and Link then takes a swig of his water.

“How will you talk to them? You can’t hide this forever, they’ll find out eventually.” He watches the princesses talk amiably to each other, Zelda holding out an enchanted trinket for hydration to where Mipha was politely declining, Daruk slapping the back of Urbosa when he told a joke, the woman withstanding it without so much of a stumble.

“Eventually.” Link finishes before he’s getting up and glanced down to Revali. “Now let’s go say sorry for all the insults you’ve said. And no Revali, they weren’t words of encouragement.” Revali doesn’t even protest but he grumbles and gets up as they join the others so he could apologize.

He would have apologized to Link for his uncalled words from the night before but he can tell he had already been forgiven if he was talking to him even at the risk of being seen.

*

Within time they moved onto piloting their Divine Beasts, finally.

Regrettably, Revali didn’t have the time to see his mother so he guessed that the letter that would reach her would be enough. Vah Medoh had been easy enough to maneuver towards Hyrule’s castle when Zelda boarded it along with Link, the other champions left at the castle. Zelda didn’t know how Medoh would react if all of them had gotten on and Revali is half-afraid that she would shake them all off again. Even when they had gotten on she had shrieked, shrill and thundering that had Revali nearly take off that Link and Zelda had to cling onto his legs, weighing him down.

“Sorry baser primal instinct, fight or flight. I chose flight this time,” Revali explains so the princess can overlook his hilarious attempt at fleeing. Link, the cheeky brat—is biting the inside of his cheek to not bust his lungs laughing.

Inserting the slate into the main control panel, the stone machine seemed to calm down, shriek turning to more of a cooing when Revali smoothed a hand over it. Within hours, Medoh was above the castle and shrieked once upon arrival. Responding, the other machines have a returning call and it shook Hyrule and Revali thought ‘well that’s an odd function’. Then they were silent as if placated from the beasts being arranged together.

Out of all of them, Mipha had the most control, her bond with Vah Ruta deep and Revali thinks that would make sense because she seems like the type to make strong friendships. Daruk had the most trouble, Vah Rudania doing whatever she pleases while he and Urbosa had no other inconveniences.

All of these machines had a personality to suit their pilots, Revali had thought as afterward he, Link and Zelda spent more time in the interior of his beast to understand her more. They were all compatible with one another, Revali realizes before Zelda does. It’s when he gets onto the others’ beasts he could feel the beast responding to him and it clicks into place. When it had lit up under Link’s touch and not Zelda, she had confirmed it Link had a connection with them too. The look of disappointment when she couldn’t activate it without the slate made him wonder if she would want them to switch to each other’s machines.

But they wouldn’t take another’s machines, Vah Medoh was more than enough and judging from everyone’s faces, they had bonded to their machines too. Zelda’s idea was scrapped but no one really minded.

With the days passing, he was seeing Link less and less. It was expected of him to accompany the princess and her miniature quests to visit locations that Hylia had left her handprint along with her effigies to invoke any blessings she could. Her powers, the one to seal away the Calamity hadn’t developed yet and the princess was simmering. Or at least Revali would if he was her if he had been treated an invalid his whole life and for the Goddess to reject him despite his non-stop praying. The princess could afford being frustrated but her father couldn’t.

He didn’t know if Link shared her frustration as his face was emotionless, the ideal silent knight at her side. Revali didn’t know how much he loathed it, it was like when they were kids again. Link was untouchable, unreadable and not talking. Not Link. Revali doesn’t have late-night visits from Link anymore but does receive small things such as the arrows by his desk whenever he was near depletion. The blue hue arrows that were ingrained with Sheikah tech were too precious to be used, the Sheikah sister with glasses had told him so he had put it up on his wall and wondered why exactly Link gave it to him if he couldn’t use it. It was the least confusing thing he was doing so far.

The Sheikah sisters were as different as two people from the same family could be. One kept in tradition and the other was for innovation and they often aided the princess in helping them comprehend the origin and function of the divine beasts. The Guardians that had been uncovered by the Sheikah and they made Revali feel singled out, their laser eyes creeping him out even after he was told that they were only to guard. Their beady lone eye was more than an indicator that their lasers could one-shot him if he came too close.

He hadn’t realized the distance that had developed between them until Link comes back one day, chasing after the wake of an angered Zelda. Though he doesn’t see that at all, because his eyes are pinpointing the sling that his arm is in. All the champions had been eating in the mess hall that their corridors had, secluded from the rest of the castle when the two had come barging in. The princess stops, whirls on her heels and shouts at Link to not follow her and the boy heeds her, ducking his head down like he should be ashamed of himself.

Something in Revali clinches because Urbosa’s words _that boy is a living reminder of her failures_ are far too cruel to be forced on him. Like Link didn’t hear her say that. He couldn't even defend himself with his voice.

His tunic is gone and he wears his Snowquill but it’s littered with tears and holes that Revali knows Link can’t sew it back up like he usually does. Link comes by but Revali is already on his feet and catches him when he collapses on him, head knocking back. Revali doesn’t see his headdress on him and it’s no wonder that he’s this cold, he hadn’t been wearing it. The champions crowd like they usually do when one of them is hurt and this time he doesn’t mind it that much.

“Mipha a little help here? Unless you want to let his arm mend on its own,” he snaps before he feels bad enough to mutter a sorry. The Zora princess didn’t need to be asked because she would have done it without any guilting and Revali feels a bit more guilty for snapping but Link is hurt and he’s—

Link is so cold and he knows that he had gone to Tabantha—without him—from the frigid hands that go into his feathers or the wetness that had soaked into his clothes, either from melting snow or that he had fallen into a lake, which happened more often than Link would even admit. Revali doesn’t notice anyone else, eyes on Link only and the mellow glow from Mipha’s hands that are sewing up his bones and opened and split skin. The break was bad as it only took minutes to heal the wounds but Links arm was a mess and Mipha’s hand was quivering a bit. Whether at how severe it was or the exertion, he wasn’t sure. They all sat themselves down as it would take time to mend this wound.

“Hey now he’s alive and in one piece, little guy you don’t have to molt over it,” Daruk slaps his back that had Revali jostling Link to which the boy moaned at. Both he and Mipha glare at him and Daruk puts his hand up like it’s a peace treaty. Taking his arm out of the sling, they see that it had been healed to where Link’s face was no longer scrunched in pain. Mipha takes away her hand because while she can use her healing, Link’s exhaustion isn’t something she can’t heal magically.

Revali is too drained to even correct Daruk that Ritos molt only in the springtime as he takes his leave. Revali notices that Urbosa was missing from the mess halls and figured that she had gone after the princess. Someone had to be responsible for her if her own father wasn’t. He knows how motherly the woman was to the young girl, just from the affection of the words ‘little bird’ alone. He heard in the halls that Urbosa had known the queen and had left before the rumor ended.

“Must have been a lover’s spat,” Daruk said and Revali can’t shake that feeling that was he wrong and Link and the princess weren’t involved. Link would have told him…wouldn’t he?

Revali took Link to his room after properly thanking Mipha who waved it off as if saving people was a daily basis for her. In some ways, it was a daily basis from the times they had all gotten injured.

With care, he takes off the ruined outfit and makes a mental side note to get him another. He’d seen Link naked several times before like Link had seen him but he strips him down to his undershirt and his pants, to preserve both of their modesty. The sword on his back he had to touch and he braves himself but he hadn’t heard any voice. Revali does hear its intentions enough to where he plops it on the floor because he has no reverence for it now.

Revali writes at his desk another letter for his mother. Normally they had messenger birds but the Yiga clan was popping up frequently to where the letters had to be hand-delivered, slower but safer.

From the lamp’s light, Link seemed so young in his sleep, hand twitching as if even in his dreams he was still fighting something.

Revali hadn’t realized how much he had missed him and his voice.

Several crumpled up letters and hours later, Revali had to go to bed. Though he didn’t want to kick him out, he had to have the energy for the next day for more and more of those blasted exercises. He didn’t know how much more they could improve, how much more preparation needing to be done before the war.

Revali didn’t have the heart to wake him up. For all he knows this may be where he gets the most sleep for a long while. It’s when he was dozing off he heard an exhale that wasn’t his. With a softened sigh, Link woke up like he always did. Always quietly as if he had to sleep quietly as if any louder and spill his secrets.

“So you’re awake good evening to you.” Link blinks at him, bleary-eyed and then looks around and Revali stretches out the cricks in his back then his wings. The boy looks around again and Revali loftily sighs because for someone so silent he knows what he’s looking for.

“The princess is safe and your sword is on the floor. You passed out from your broken arm and exhaustion.” As if he remembers, Link moves the once injured arm, jerking it up as Revali picked up his sword. Quizzically Link takes it before he pulls back the covers and sees his state of his undress.

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before don’t flatter yourself,” Link flushes still and he finds his shoes somewhere on the floor, bare feet roaming.

‘Privacy,’ Link signs to him and Revali frowns.

Never had Link had minded it before, not when they were back at Rito. Revali didn’t like how Hyrule was warping him, making him silent and unreadable now. Sure it had been his home once but Rito was his home, wasn’t it?

“You never cared for it once.” Revali turns back to the one letter that he had written to home and so Link can’t see his frown. “Besides it would have been so considerate of you if you told me that you had gone home but of course you did it without me.” Maybe it was in his subconscious, that he was jealous even if Link didn’t want the limelight or it was because there was a clear exclusion between him and Link. There was no way he was jealous of Zelda and Daruk’s words echoed in his head before he shooed it out. Link makes a ruckus gathering his things and it infuriated him that he was running away from him because when did Link run?

“Are you so inept now that you’re only reduced to using your hands. Getting used to being the princess’s pet?” Revali asks and Link only stares at him as he readily stares back like it’s a challenge. “You barely talk to me now.”

What’s on your mind? He wants to ask. Why are you so distant? What’s wrong? Why won’t you speak to me anymore? You’re worrying me a lot. Please stay a bit longer and sleep, you have bags under your eyes. But none of it came out.

Revali looks away, jaw clenching and there are footsteps that don’t go towards him but to the door. Revali should have expected as much, bitter thought gnawing into him.

Link leaves quietly because Revali guesses that is all he can do now and the silence is terribly loud. Revali hates how isolated he feels without him.

Maybe he had been the one reliant on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry for the angst! Also me thinking to myself: hey wouldn’t it be cool if all the champions had a connection with the others beasts since Link is their connector?


	6. Birds of Prey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s easy to write from kind of Revali’s POV bc he’s a relatable character, more to me than Link is. I think when I get to a hundred years later in the future, I’ll do it from Link’s POV which will be a nice change. Also, I finished the game despite not wanting to finish it and got so emo seeing the ending like ahhhhh. Time to get the DLC ahaha.

Revali and Link had come bundled in a pair. Two for ones. So when they all go to the training grounds and they're standing apart the more sensible Champions give them space. However, a side effect of this is the bearing gape of communication it leaves them with.

Revali had passed off Mipha’s healing on a minor scratch on his wing, saying it wasn’t as bad as a broken arm. Revali doesn’t know if that was even intentional on his part, mentioning that because that has been a jab at Link. Besides he could down one of the elixirs that were provided to them because Mipha’s blessings shouldn’t be overused so often.

Thankfully the Champions were competent enough now that they could speak to Link on their own as Mipha went over to check on Link under the guise of seeing if he had any injuries. Mipha has been a quick learner on hand signs and because of that, she could quickly pick on Link’s moods and whenever they swung. She was just an empathetic person and Revali distracts himself further.

‘Fine.’ He signs off and Revali can tell he isn’t from his despondency.

Link was good at putting up fronts but not good enough so that mask of indifference he had makes it overly bleak. Since Revali is right there and they can talk to him Daruk looks to him, examining him like how Zelda would when having artifacts in her grasps.

“Was I wrong? Was it you and Link who had a lover’s spat?” Revali wings twitch from how fast he whipped his body to the Goron who doubled back to avoid a gust of his gale that he had accidentally made. His feathers are fretfully ruffled and he’s thankful that the others don’t know enough about Ritos to know he’s embarrassed.

He opens his mouth but shuts it, glaring off to the side while Daruk plods on, not reading the mood. Not that he can blame him, things between him and Link had always coasted over composite sometimes.

Urbosa glances at him as if she wants to tell them off but it isn’t her place, gauging the situation behind her mocktail. No getting intoxicated until at least night fell Zelda had told the adults (mainly Urbosa.)

There’s a stiff moment of uneasiness until Mipha plops herself down beside them. She brushes her hands on the sash at her shoulder as if she’s the only one not disturbed by the sour moodiness of the other two. Sometimes it was Mipha that Revali feared more than Urbosa, her politeness having a razored edge of danger to it.

“I have noticed that there has been a…disconnect between you two,” Mipha plaintively says and Revali wonders just how obvious they were making it out to be. Then he realized that Link had been the only one that could make him talk and if had gone both ways.

“Zelda wouldn’t tell me anything last night, being pretty upset. Now you and Link won’t speak? What is it with you young folk?” Urbosa looks to where Link was repeatedly swinging his sword through the air as if fighting an unseen foe that he couldn’t beat. “I hope you don’t catch whatever they have Mipha.”

The Zora girl is looking at both to him and Link until she ventures again. “I had wanted to ask, you and Link never called each other brothers despite being raised by the same mother. Why is that?”

Often Mipha had gushed about her younger brother who was no bigger than a tadpole and Revali couldn’t see what she was getting out of him. Expectantly they look to him and he crosses his arms.

He had nothing to hide unlike Link.

“I never really seen Link in a brotherly way. He was more of a friend and his real mom was a Hylian when he came to us.” He looks at Link who is busy whacking his sword against a dummy as if it wasn’t a veiled fit of rage. “Not that he probably thinks of Rito as his home, Hyrule always has been.” Revali would be daft if he tried to convince himself otherwise. “He must be homesick being kept from it for so long.”

“I see…” Mipha had pressed enough and she knows her limits as it didn’t take her perception for all of them to see his bitterness.

Revali takes off to his room, not set for chatting more about Link. If they wanted more answers they could wrangle it out of Link himself. For now, he would busy himself in sending letters home. An hour later or so, he was out of paper that had him rummaging through his bag and instead came up with a notebook.

_Instead of talking so much you can write them down. You’ll lose your voice if you don’t._

_Link_

Like you had lost your voice Link? He wants to argue back at when Revali stares at the offending note that Link had written in the inside of the cover.

Revali had forgotten that Link had gotten him a joke diary and that he had proclaimed that he had better things to do than sit down and write about his whole day. But now he had nothing better to do and grabs a pen in his hand and writes, complains, puts everything down. Maybe after the battle, this would be his living legacy. Not likely he thinks, but writing it down is as good as it was going to get since Link won’t lend his ears or voice this time.

*

Things aren’t that hostile between the princess and knight now, though there is an uptightness in her smile that doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Link is reduced to being her shadow and it’s an uncertainty if he’s really content with that. It had been a week or two and still, Revali wasn’t speaking to Link and it was putting holes in the hard work that the other champions had worked hard to seam together. Everything was unraveling and the closeness of the Calamity was not helping.

However, Zelda had been gracious to where they had been allowed to visit their homes and take a needed breather, having trained enough to where they knew their Divine Beasts potentials. It had surprised them all that all the beasts felt female, referring to them as such that was comically humorous at boring times.

Everyone was excited to go back to their homes, from the mini-vacations they took to relax. Maybe that was why only Link and Revali hadn’t gone back because Revali knows that his mother would ask where was Link and why he hadn’t come with him so he lies to her, feeling like the worst son.

It seemed like forever ago since the inauguration ceremony and still Revali is finding new things about the town that they were being kept in and around the castle like how they have rupees and oddities kept away in vases. For the life of him, Revali can’t figure out why and chalks it up Hylian superstitions if the fountain in the center of the town is anything to go by. The birds at the fountain represented traditions and myths, mixed up to where Revali didn’t know what was fact from fiction.

The soldiers that served the king were nothing short of unpleasant. Even clothed in their armor and garbs they had a personality that rivaled Revali’s own that made him rethink how he treated others. Wearing their royal uniforms made them all uncharacteristically alike and Revali couldn’t help but notice that the majority of them were grown up, war-formed men much less teenagers like Link. Several times before Revali caught a glimpse of Link in the same uniform but he could always tell it was him from the inches that he had yet to grow into.

It’s late into the night under a clouded sky when Revali sees a bunch of guardsmen clustered together in a group in one of the expansive hallways that they should be patrolling. Revali had been out so he wouldn’t become too sloppy in flight and he hears the whispers before he sees them.

“...More Rito than Hylian huh? He just shows up one day and garners all the attention.”

“This trinket makes him look more like a Cucco. It could sell for an awful lot.”

“Having a mute represent the royal’s guard is so pathetic....”

Revali never had thought the royal army could be so uncultured and improper. Was that why Link didn’t want to associate himself with them? He’d never seen the other with them. Then the puzzle pieces fit together, a piece coming into place. They were taken advantage of him, of him having no voice. Maybe that’s why he was so unreachable because he was being coerced and conditioned to whatever treatment he was being dealt with.

Revali rounds the corner and sees the headdress between the grimy fingers of a guard. He doesn’t even think twice, ripping it out of their hands and when the offenders turned around to confront them, they wither when seeing it was one of the Champions. Although Revali is shorter than the average Hylian because he is still growing himself, his appearance is intimidating enough.

“Now I’m not one to eavesdrop but your current behavior should be rectified. I mean—what if the King caught wind of this, wouldn’t that be a complete travesty?” They all eye the bow on his back and it gives him a good idea to string them up on their underwear, parading them around the town. Yet that would get him and Link into trouble so he instead he intimidates them, narrowed eyed. “Shouldn’t you be patrolling the areas? The Yiga could be lurking at this hour.” With that, he leaves and does not hear another peep from them.

Going through the many passageways—the castle was more of a maze than a home—it doesn’t take him too long to get to his room. It’s near the barracks, between the highness’s room and the lower levels. He had taken some detours and knocked on rooms with people that didn’t sound like Link until he knocks and he’s met with a grunt that is definitely him.

Coming into the room, Link turns away from his desk to where he’s writing and puts down his pen. His reports to the king are frequent to where there’s a stack of unused paper that Revali could steal from without anyone noticing. Link blocks him from seeing the letter he had been writing and marches up to Revali and it looks like he’s going to slam the door on him.

Before he can, Revali takes his hand and places the clips that have him falter. Turning them over, the feathers are crumpled and trashed from the rough handling it had been through but it doesn’t stop Link from handling it with care. The clippings that go behind his ears are damaged too and Revali peers at him and then takes his face in his hands without so much of a warning.

Link beats at his chest but Revali's hands grab his face and he won’t let go when he sees the red marks behind his ears. They had tried to rip it off his ears by force if those marks were still there and his feathers rumpled up. Link had stopped his struggling and scowls because Revali was going to be dramatic about it and it was something he had gotten used to by now.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this? You’re only protecting them and not yourself and no—I don’t care about any made up honors code they try to pull,” Revali says and Link turns his chin away, tucked to his own chest. “Did they hurt you anywhere else?” Link shakes his head because after they had taken his headdress, they hadn’t been any much bolder. He thinks that Zelda had also known which was why she was in a sour mood whenever talking to them and why they had steered cleared from him now.

There’s a stifling silence as Link signs. ‘Weak.’ Revali wants to say he’s anything but that. “They see me as weak because I can't control my voice. Hurts.” Revali doesn’t know if he means the scars or the humiliation he had to endure. ‘Being alone…’ Link signs and then stops because his hands are shaky and Revali doesn’t hug him but leads him to his bed. Revali doesn’t like being touchy-feely, he’s above that. Tired eyed and having dark crescents, he could see that he had been neglecting his sleep patterns.

“Not your fault you can beat grown men if they’re too lazy to get better. They think can shovel all their blame on some kid and—what the hell, who do they think they are—” Revali cuts himself off because he’s angry and Link watches him unnervingly. Revali rarely cursed and Link can tell he’s holding back from calling them worse. Revali seethes but sees that Link really is exhausted. “You should sleep. And…”

He sees that Link’s window is open and maybe some things didn’t change, a cool breeze coming in underneath the moonlight. Breezes like these reminded him of the open houses in Rito and when he looked to how slowly Link put away the useless headdress, he still cares, maybe in a different way now but he does.

“I apologize for my words about the princess and you. I guess I was…hurt.” Revali says because he can’t say the words of something else. “But that doesn’t excuse how I treated you. Or those men.” Link stares at him and he looks down at his hands.

“...It’s alright. There was some worth in your words and theirs.” Link lets himself fall back into his mattress, body squirming under the covers as Revali sits beside him because when had Link been so self-deprecating? Maybe he had always been this way and the soldiers were reminding him.

“My words don’t mean anything especially the ones I had used to insult you or theirs.” Revali scoffs before he adds something. It’s more of an afterthought than anything else. “Why had the princess been so mad at you that day?”

Link is quiet before his mask is taken off again. “She had found out that I could talk and started saying how no one trusted her and a lot of other things she must have thought a lot about.” Link yawns and Revali wants to leave to let him finally sleep. “The knights have never liked me but I think they are also afraid of me. Said I was too much like a boy that had turned into a beast.”

That made sense, the princess was keen on things and Link was by her side nearly most of the day. She would notice if something was amiss about him. He can’t say much for the guards logic but he knows if it happens again he would do something worse than chew them out.

“I can’t believe grown men have to be taught from right and wrong. Though I doubt they won’t bother you anymore and if they do, I'll string them up by the underwear and fly them up to the towers.” Revali says now because if he got approval from Link he may take a chance on it. Link just smiles at him because he’s poorly covering up that he wouldn’t mind it. Link thinks that it would be a good dose of medicine for them.

Revali doesn’t understand why he hadn’t defended himself, did Link think so lowly of himself that he deserved that behavior?

“I forgive you, usually it takes forever for you to apologize you must have felt really bad. And giving me the silent treatment even if you’re not good at it.” Revali sees the arrows in the corner in his room that are blatantly for him and he feels bad that Link was still thinking about him in a caring way.

Links voice is thickened with sleep and Revali would have left if it wasn’t for the hand that tugged at his shoulder. Glancing back, Revali sees that he has latched onto his armor and wasn’t looking at him, looking down.

“Can you stay the night? I—I haven’t been sleeping well.” Link doesn’t have to beg because they’ll both let it slide, at least for tonight. Revali doesn’t want to think about what kind of nightmares he has and they must be bad if he was asking for him to say. Maybe it wasn’t even nightmares and only loneliness.

“I suppose I have to make it up for you but I never expected you to be so clingy,” Revali snarks but he’s unstrapping his armor and it joins his bow and quiver and the scarf that hangs on the bedpost. “I won’t do this again alright?” He tried to sound strict about it but sleepiness begins to overtake him too because he had flown more than he should have.

Link just digs his hands into his feathers; he did this way too much for it not to be a subtle fixation and leans into him. Revali feels like the sun is burning him up, what he imagines Gerudo desserts or the lava rock mountains Daruk lives on feel like. They had outgrown doing this as children and to be in bed together again felt odd but comforting, he couldn’t describe it. It when Link had nestled more of himself to him, Revali has a quick epiphany to what it really was that he felt.

He felt home, Link felt like home and Revali doesn’t really understand why. He doesn’t snore but from how his body had become boneless against his own, he’s sound asleep. His undershirt and his pants are his nightwear, his hair framing his face, slowly growing out.

Link’s hair is never down and Revali takes the hair tie and sees how Link’s hair is still unkempt as if he didn’t own a brush. Since he was a Rito and Link had been raised by one, Revali brushes his fingers through it and Link is already asleep by the time he gets out all the knots. His hair while different from feathers, is silky and softer from all his hard work. He wants to braid it like his own but that would imply something else, something that he and Link weren’t.

Revali had planned to leave him when he finally was asleep but discovered that he didn’t really want to leave just yet. This unknown feeling warmed him and he lets Link hold onto him before he drapes a wing over him.

The stars and moon outside glisten outside and Revali surrendered himself to the darkness, feeling home in his arms.

*

In the morning he knows that Link is already gone and that’s what had woken him up in the first place, the absence of warmth. He gets up and sees that his things are still there and it’s late enough that gets him out of bed. He smelled heavily of sweaty Hylian and he’d have to bathe himself which was going to be a hassle. Rito didn’t have to clean themselves daily as their feathers were built for wear and tear but he rather be hygienic.

Revali decides that he’s going to have his day off. He tells Zelda to which she agreed to and discreetly Link gives him a letter that he knows is for Gale as he takes flight to Rito Village. The weather is amiable, the colder winds refreshing as Rito had been built for the cold, feathers for insulation.

Originally Revali had decided to go so that the headdress could be repaired by a craftsman but ultimately decided that he’ll repair it himself, make it sturdier to where it wouldn’t be stolen again. It would double down as a regifting too perhaps if his budget allowed it, he’d make another version for hot weather, trading out the rubies for sapphires.

When coming home, many Rito has greeted him and it does warm his frosty soul that he had been missed and so had Link even if they hadn’t been the socializing types. Things changed when you were named Champion of the Rito and your lifelong friend was made out to be the Hero of Hyrule. Revali isn’t so sure that he’s changed though, if at all.

Gale is delighted to see her son and takes the letter that Link had written to her, along with the Hylian food and souvenirs that he had brought back. She asks about things a mother would, how they were adjusting, how was the food and people and Revali doesn’t mind telling her the blunt truth. Most of it is about Link and he can’t help but feel ire when thinking about it again and how poorly they had handled it because they weren’t children anymore.

Gale inspects him before she signs, ‘Do you love Link?’

Revali stops whatever he had been in the middle of saying because he does know Link had been overshadowing the conversation. But there had been a lot that happened in between them. He doesn’t remember when he had ever said he loved him but Gale is patient with him.

‘I don’t think I could stop loving him, the ruffian he is,’ he signs back after nitpicking his words and Gale nods.

‘Like a brother? A familial love?’ Revali inspects her now not really getting her angle. He had never called Link his brother but had considered him something akin to family. They were close enough.

‘Well—‘ his hands stop because he remembers the warmth of the night before, how at home he feels with him. ‘Whenever I’m with him I feel at home.’ Gale stares at him and he shifts under it because she had perfected the art of it. It’s the first time he feels the invasion of privacy that Link sometimes can get crabby at.

‘I’ll leave it to you to figure it out yourself, your feelings.’ Revali understands her implication but the love that he feels for Link had to be philia. Maybe agape—though it’s a love that Hylia herself couldn’t interfere with.

‘If you’re implying that I had somehow fallen in love with Link, don’t you think I would have realized it by now?’ He tried to further their conversation because what did she know that he didn’t but Gale changes it because she had said her piece.

Revali fumes but it doesn’t stop him from accepting the dessert that she had baked.

 

*

Even if Gale has welcomed him as a mother should she also kicked him out of her house because she had been meaning to. When Rito reached a certain age they would find their own homes, whether they be nomadic or stay in the village was up to them. For Revali he didn’t mind, he had been getting stir-crazy days leading up to it.

Revali knows it’s a custom for them but there aren’t any new houses in the village so he goes further out into the snowy ledges and comes upon an abandoned cabin. It's been a while since he’s went adventuring by himself and he had never known any houses to be built there. It’s suitable for him as its nearby the village and flight range and he clears it out as best as he could. There’s even a cooking pot in the fireplace and he gets rid of the old things, displacing them. Whoever had been the last person living there had gotten rid of most of their belongings and he was grateful for that, less for him to sift through.

It had been by the foot of a cliff, by the groves of trees by it and outstretched are the icy plains of Hebra where Revali wondered if the person had left because it had been too desolate from civilization.

He spent the rest of his day at the range, pleased that no one had come and messed with anything. As night comes down, he buckles down into the mattress, body already used the flimsiness of it.

When he sleeps he dreams of something he hadn’t in a long time. The past came back in the strangest ways.

Vaguely he knows that he’s on the tops of the mountains of Hebra and he’s suddenly a kid again, too small against the cold cruel world and Revali knows that this is a memory long and lost. His wings and tail are frigid from the winter cold and he sticks his beak further into his scarf. It’s just a memory but he feels it as if it had happened yesterday, fresh in his head and how he can feel everything, recall all the details.

His mother had gotten sick and they were in the mountains looking for more medicinal herbs because the store clerk had run out due to it being winter. During winter everyone stored up, blanketing out the colds in their coops. Revali desperately wants hot horchata but they had run out of that too, holed up in their roost.

“Revali if you want, we can turn back, we have enough for a week. It’s too cold to fly and the way down is long.” He turns to see that his father is concerned, peering down at him.

His white feathers were because he was a snow-bird, having lived up in the mountains and being suited for it, unlike other Ritos. He didn’t need a scarf like he did, clothed in his armor. His father was more hawklike if his slitted eyes and curved beak being the indicators and Revali remembered wanting to look more like him than his mother at times. The only parts of him that resembled his father were the white feathers of his stomach to his legs, everything else was his mother’s. His father had come from a migrating tribe, always on the move until he had fallen in love with Rito Village and his mother. Sometimes Revali wondered if he missed the open-ended sky and journeying them before he came along.

He shakes his head and soldiers on with his father. He knows one of the reasons why he had come with his father on the mountain was to make sure that there weren’t any enemies around as in winter everyone was the most vulnerable and he wanted to help.

Why Revali had really joined him was to practice his archery skills but after hours of foraging and shooting arrow after arrow, he was ready to sleep so much that he might go into hibernation. While they search for the herbs, Revali pockets as many Chickaloo Tree nuts so he could have endless mugs of horchata as he follows his father and they both come across the setting sun.

The snow isn’t as bad as before, the winds carrying it off of the mountains adrift. The orange and red glow shone down on the whiteness of the mountains and Revali always did like sunsets than sunrises.

“In all my years of traveling and seeing the sun rise and set so many times, none of them could be compared to the ones in Rito.” Revali’s father kneels on one knee and holds Revali close as they both watch the encroaching sunset, the light seeping slowly into the snow. “But it makes it better to be enjoyed with someone that reminds you of home.”

“How can someone be a home?” Younger Revali asks that makes him presently groan internally, a bystander to his memory. The things he said when he was younger sometimes made him want to throttle himself.

His father is sagely patient. “When you love someone very much, they become your home. Like how you and your mom have been to me, you two are my home. Home is where the heart is, have you ever heard of that saying? Hylians are rather fond of that one.” Younger Revali nods like he understands when he really doesn’t and his father ruffles his downy feathers with a light chuckle before they get up.

Revali wakes up as the dream begins to fragment to be forgotten to his childhood and he thinks that maybe this was a sort of wake up call. Or maybe it was because he and mother had discussed it. Maybe his parents knew love better than he ever could and he sees that the sun had begun to rise by the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revali being in love? Who knows...


	7. Travelers Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me being busy drawing revalink after my months of absence and now trying to complete the DLC to get that damn motorcycle. Anywho while I try to play the DLC and Pokémon Shield here’s another chapter. I realized that the expansion pack included trials but meh I guess this is where canon divergence happens.

With Revali and Link talking again, the communication between them and the Champions wasn’t one-sided. If anything it only reaffirmed their bond.

Most days were done in a routine, eating in the morning before being mentored by the Sheikah about their weapons of war (better known as their Divine Beasts) and battle strategies that forced them to think, lunch then dinner before writing home about it. Or writing in his diary that Revali took some pride in, though he wouldn’t let Link know that.

Months went and they aged, Revali and Link both suffering from growing pains that made Revali irritable. Especially the molting and blood feathers, which the others dared not see him whenever he got them (unless they were Link of course). Mipha and Zelda stayed relatively small, although Revali couldn’t say if he had gotten taller. He had gotten bulkier, from all the training that had been hammered into him, arms more weighty.

As they had trained enough, learned the littlest secrets inside of their machines, they had piloted all their beasts back home to where they were in a stationary stasis, awaiting their directions. Often they went home now but had become so used to the others and the castle it honestly felt like a second home. They had promised one another to visit their homes, together one night in the dining halls and Zelda had smiled a wicked smile. Revali had spent enough time around one Hylian to know when they were plotting something.

A few days later and Zelda was gathering them all on an expedition trip. The objective: to know how much they could learn on the shrines and guides to springs that were rumored Hylia had once bathed and blessed. Although Revali wouldn’t want to stand in some olden spring, he saw how eagerly Zelda wanted to try anything that could get her closer to understanding Hylia and her sealing powers. There was an underlying mission, one where she could easily evade her father with all of them coming along and Revali wondered how long she had been plotting a getaway under the guise of religious pilgrimage.

On the third day of the month-long trip and Revali knew that the princess was more absorbed in adventuring, not that he minded. The poor princess practically had to fake her kidnapping with the Yiga to escape her duties, not that he could blame her. The delight she had when showing Mipha a red-skinned toad she captured was more fitting than the dreariness that shrouded her in the castle often.

“Many make tonics and potions out of these little fellows, all sorts of remedies! They come in different colors and functions too and many consider it a delicacy.” Zelda transfers the toad to Mipha’s awaiting hands as Revali glances at Link who had been helping them catch them.

‘She tried to feed me one,’ he one-handedly signs as he pulls on his boots and Revali laughs. Link had gotten thoroughly waterlogged, water plants in his hair and a substantial amount of dirt and water on his legs. He had been smart enough to roll up his pants and take off his boots, but not smart enough to wipe off the dirt off his foot that he was now sticking in his shoe. Revali rolls his eyes at him handing him a towel because what knight could afford being sick? Same old Link, knighthood couldn’t even change his messy hasty ways.

“Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing you’ve eaten! Remember that dubious food you made? You thought that feeding me bugs and worms would help when I was sick since I’m a Rito,” he fondly reminds him and avoids the wet slap of Link’s hand. Daruk is sat by pond’s edge, feet soaking in the water.

“But aren’t you a bird? You look like one.” Scandalized, Revali squawked as Urbosa gave a boisterous laugh at his expense. She did that often and he frowns.

“Calling a Rito a bird is one of the worst insults, we are above them.” Revali struts off, offended as the others cackle at him and his joking.

As night had fallen, Urbosa had mentioned that near where the mountainside turned into deserts and the air was sandy, there was a temple dedicated to all the heroes and champions before them, more massive than any other temple that they should visit as well.

Firstly, they’d be visiting Daruk’s home as his son had been born. They had gotten notified from a Sheikah messenger that had been trying to track them down. The princess was more than ecstatic and so had the new father, taking them all in his arms for a bone-crushing hug.

“It really is like hugging a rock,” Revali mutters but like the rest of them, he lets himself be smothered. Daruk weeps tears of joy and the embrace increased to where Revali is positive that his bones were being crushed.

*

“My home is there near Death Mountain,” Daruk leads them closer to where the inferno is and Revali can smell the faint volcanic ash in the air despite the fact that the mountain volcano hadn’t erupted in eons. “It’s been dormant for years and it’s a good thing it is!”

“Why’s that?” Mipha questions, fanning herself as they stop by a nearby stable, to get adjusted to the weather.

“Because everything would spontaneously combust, catch aflame if it erupts!” Daruk says, eyes skyward at the peak. “Let’s hope that’s a couple of years until that happens!”

Out of all of them, Revali had been the most miserable, chugging cooling elixirs when he felt like he was melting. It had been one of the few times he hated being a Rito, his feathers keeping in the heat. Mipha was fairing well enough, having to splash water on herself from time to time while Link had to drag him out of the motel to see Daruk’s son.

Though the baby didn’t have a name yet, baby Gorons were similar to small boulders, rolling around for protection or for fun, Revali couldn’t tell. Daruk’s wife had extended her hospitality to them, but they refuted having to get Zelda’s thinly veiled expedition of research started. Not that Revali minded, it was too damn hot to stay another day. Still, out of the courtesy of their hearts, they stayed for a while, letting Daruk become acquainted with his son.

The next days, as they walked Revali couldn’t help but notice that were guardians and shrines all over the place, acting as transportation hubs and guardians scuttling about. They were still both ominous, Revali wondering what made them work other than ancient inscriptions and innovations. Passing by another shrine, their feet, and Revali’s wings aching, Zelda had sparked an idea. Proudly, she brought out the slate, going on about the things she had learned about it, the ruins and the advancement in technology as it was capable of taking real-life still shots of things they’d seen.

Revali had seen both Link and Zelda travel through them and they all grabbed a part of it from the encouragement of Zelda to fast travel.

“It won’t be so bad, maybe it will be fun. You should see how often I use to dive off the reservoirs near my home,” Mipha says as they all crowd around, looking to the shrine that was nearby Urbosa’s lands. Revali would have never taken the smaller girl as a thrill-seeker but she and Zelda shared the same excitement that coerced them all to give it a try. Because it couldn’t hurt to try it just once and it would be more time-efficient.

“Link and I have done it tons of times.” Zelda fiddles with the controls, the contraption making robotic blips. “However I am not sure if we reached the capacity of passengers on this…”

If the slate recognized them as Champions, maybe it would let them through as it had recognized their machines. There was a hum, not like the robotic plinks as Revali saw that they were all trailing into thin air, a mesmerizing blue and before he could back out of it or complain they had disappeared.

It was an odd feeling, to be dematerialized and fading with the wind only to have instant headrush when materializing in another place.

Miraculously it worked that Zelda wanted to try it again but the Champions weren’t used to being transferred from blue strands in the sky to all falling into a heap in the desert.

“Hylia what a rush,” Urbosa puts a manicured hand to her head, shaking it as if sand was lodged in it.

“It never gets less exciting!” Zelda says, already dulled to the effects of the transportation. “Imagine if we can take bigger things through now that we know it can take people maybe it can take other organic forms of life….

Daruk had narrowly puked as they all caught their breaths since falling from the sky wasn’t a daily occurrence. Revali brushed the sand out from his feathers, Link flapping it out from his undershirt as Mipha and Urbosa helped Daruk up. Zelda was babbling about the new possibilities this could make, Revali already feeling queasy at going at it again.

“Being pieced back together is strange enough but having to go to two hot places in just a single week is sheer insanity,” Revali sniffs having forced down so many cooling potions as Link handed him and Mipha another one.

Urbosa is already scanning the horizon line until she makes out the wavy outline of her domain. Eventually, all of them stand with her, heading towards where she’s walking as she tells them to keep up the pace. The adept woman was born in a place of sinking sands, light on her feet yet all of them are sinking which makes their progression slow to a crawl. With the beating sun, they’re all sweating besides Daruk and Urbosa, Revali can fully say that it is as insufferable as Goron City with all the sand that was getting everywhere.

“The heat isn’t so bad, besides it gets as cold as your home Revali, here at night,” Urbosa tries to say as reassurance but judging from how even Link is swaying from the heat, it’ll be a while until sundown. Urbosa still tries to lift their spirits. “You have to try seal-surfing it’s great! Don’t go too far into the uncharted places as there is a gigantic beast that is attracted to wanderer’s footsteps.”

Revali can’t tell if she’s joking and although he doesn’t partake in the seal-surfing as animals and he didn’t bode well. Link, however, was overjoyed in coasting through the dunes with his shield alone. Several times before Revali had caught him shield surfing down rough terrain of Rito and Revali scolded him each time in how he would fracture his bones or demolish a shield, and sometimes he had been right.

Link already knows why they had gone to Gerudo Town despite that the opposite gender wasn’t allowed in and the girls wave at them as they skipped through the entrance.

Link wouldn’t tell the king about letting the princess out of his sights as she had done it many times before going without him but still, he felt reassured that there were many Gerudo warriors there, dutifully to keep out any Yiga that Urbosa told Link. This was an excuse to have a girls day out if Urbosa’s smirk at them said enough.

Promptly exiled, they all do take Urbosa’s advice and nabbed some sand seals, Daruk needing two as they rode through the dunes. Eventually he lets himself ride one, the behemoth mammal slobbering everywhere and Revali won’t let it lick him. It was as thrilling as flying, the sliding sand against their shield that made them all more than once collide and fall off. At one point, Revali had crashed into Daruk and it had sent him flying into a dune. There were a few monsters that they had taken down, monster hunting and Sand-Seal surfing until night made them take refuge as of course, Urbosa had been right of it becoming cold as Tabantha.

“Even if you’re Zelda’s appointed knight, you can’t enter?” Link shakes his head at Daruk as they all crowd at the bazaars inn. A Rito, a Goron and a Hylian—it almost made for a bad joke.

The temperatures dropped so much that Revali had to resort to going by the fire and he could see the ends of Link’s pointy ears numbed with coldness. He’d have to get his headdress fixed in his spare time, still working at it in his room back at the castle.

Revali pokes at the fire, embers flitting. “Well unless you crossdress. You could pull it off Link—“ Revali can barely stop laughing that has Daruk choking on his rock, spewing and laughing as Link kicked sand on him.

*

They had skipped the temple by the craggy clifffaces as the Sheikah had it under renovation, trying to rebuild some of the parts of the temple that had been shattered during the past wars. It had been connected to the ones in the Promenade by Kakariko Village, the sacred marks of masonry being the only sign of a connection left there. They’d be at Kakariko soon enough, after traveling some more.

Now it really was more of an explorers expedition, not that anyone minded it nor mentioned it. It was obvious how overbearing her father had been, the girl having a severe case of cabin fever being cooped up in the castle to pray. It was nice as they were taking snapshots of the places they had been on the little contraption, Link scrolls through them and snorts at a picture they had taken when they had all gone Sand-Seal racing Revali’s face a smear frame, before pointing at one where Revali was in mid-sentence while everyone looks on unimpressed.

“Delete those, although…” he takes the slate from his fingers and flips through the album as he finds that the princess had taken some of Link in similarly unflattering pictures. Link snatches it back as Revali chuckles. “Those memories certainly are worth a million or so rupees. Though I wouldn’t trade them in.”

As they walked further along, Revali slyly mentions that they had hot springs up in the mountain tops of his home, to where everyone’s joints could use the TLC. Unlike the ones on Death Mountain, the cold contrasting the hotness was soothing.

“If we’re going to get to be transported again, it has to be my home,” Revali says and they all agree as there were many hot springs atop of the summits and Zelda had to check that as well. Little anomalies like those should be checked she had said.

Back home the air was cleaner, fresher and his mother was more than happy to greet the others. Revali didn’t mind being a interpreter until they started asking if he was just as bratty as a kid and wouldn’t relay Gale’s or Link’s answer.

Having all of them in his home didn’t feel as intrusive as he thought, though a bit cramped. Gale gives him an equivalent of a kiss for Ritos, cheek nuzzling that he bided until Mipha snaps a picture. Revali showed them the sights of Rito Village that tourists seemed to like as the temperature was more than pleasant though when heading up on the mountains, all of them became swathed in Rito clothing. It wasn’t snowing yet, the sunshine on their faces as they all plodded up the many makeshift paths on the mountainside.

“This path is the safest, no fear of an Ice Talus popping up.”

“They can live even up here?” Mipha asks, nearly slipping on a frozen puddle before Link steadies her. All of them were chilled except Link and Revali, used to it as they had journeyed and explored the peaks of the mountains. The enchanted bag from the Great Fairies let’s Link get away with stuffing all his things in there, no matter the size as he pulls out cold-resistant things for them to share so they all won’t freeze over.

“Yes, though they are rather easy to beat if you have any fire on you. There are also many hot springs here that are great for aches and the blistered feet we all have,” Revali said with great pride for his village as they go further up the mountains. The amount of spicy food was passed on Link as he toughed it out, letting the others take the warm provisions. Revali hands him a spicy elixir and Link drinks half of it before dropping it back in his satchel.

“You always were a stickler for spicy food,” Link pretends he’s busy tending to the fire because Revali had stopped by his house as it was getting too dark to go any further. It had been a surprise for all of them and Revali couldn’t help but feel more pride that he had something for himself other than his homeland.

“I can’t believe you have your own house Revali, aren’t you the same age as Link?” Zelda forks at the hearty salmon she’s given as they all stared at him.

“Rito consider their young capable of taking care of themselves at fifteen. They can choose to make a home here or anywhere else.” Revali pours the horchata for them and he hears his mother scolding him to be a better host. “Yes I’m only sixteen, but I’ll be seventeen soon. Isn’t that what Hylians consider to be an adult?”

As soon as he says that, Zelda is going into the traditions of Hylians, the others adding in with their traditions as well. Somehow it had gone way off-course and into courting customs and Zelda mentions that if a Hylian liked someone to take as their intended, they would leave small gifts for them.

“Presents of their affection, to let the other know they’re loved, appreciated, and such,” Zelda says. Link frowns at her as Zelda snickers and Revali boasts that Rito culture was more complex having to make things for their intended that they would like or finding a suitable home for them.

“See these braids I wear? Well, when someone has become spoken for they trade feathers and weave it through their braid. It’s to tell others basically to ‘back off this one is taken’. If their partner is, for example, a Zora—“ Mipha flushes and hides behind her mug of horchata, “then they would exchange maybe...a ribbon or another hair accessory of what would be their hair color to be woven on their head instead. It’s only during the courting phase, afterward, they wear special kinds of beads that signify marriage.”

“You guys take your hair care so seriously, more than any Gerudo women,” Urbosa laughs and goes on to tell them about her marriage customs and how Gerudo woman leave to essentially get laid unless they found the right one that makes Daruk howl and the others to quickly change the topic.

*

They’re all traversing the mountains having taken dips in the hot springs, talking about Hylia’s Springs and still slightly wet from how often Daruk catapulted himself into the water. The one by Mipha’s home was only allowed for patrons over the age of seventeen and Zelda would have to wait a few months before she was that age.

As they headed down the mountainside, they had seen a lengthy dragon, massive and moving through the sky that Zelda could barely contain herself as she snapped a shot of it. It flew off unbothered by its spectators, vanishing deeper into the atmosphere above.

“I’ve never seen one before only in books! Much less this close!” She excitedly rambles, the cold scales of the dragon sending flurries of snow. As far as they knew, three dragons occupied the regions, the one called Dindral being the most seen as it flew halfway across the world.

All of them listened to the stories that travelers passed by them as they stopped by the two springs via shrine. Each time, Zelda shook her head when asked if she had unlocked her power and something in Revali doubted if there was any divinity in her like everyone had said. Mipha the kindred soul, comforted the princess understanding her completely how she was tethered to her duty. It seemed Mipha was trying to help Zelda summon her powers, or try to understand them from how hushed they talked with one another.

“At least we got to see other things besides the castle walls for the past year. See all these marks I put down it’s where we’ve been.”

The entire map fitted on the screen made Revali acutely aware that Hyrule wasn’t as big as he had thought. In less than a month, they had gone through nearly half the world and were still going. Was there a world beyond Hyrule?

Some weeks had passed and they had successfully evaded the king’s supervision or running into higher leveled enemies as they all came to Kakariko Village, as Zelda wanted to share her exploration about what she had found out with the Sheikah tribe.

“I can’t wait to go home. Sidon must miss me so,” Mipha says with a note of homesickness as they all stand at Impa’s manor, the woman welcoming them inside.

Kakariko had been blessed in their harvest from their abundance of crops, their people honoring the champions and princess’s presence, greeting them. While their food was distinctly different from what Revali had ever tasted, he liked the rice balls that they were given as snacks on their way and the different fillings they could have. The seafood ones were better than the meat ones that Link liked, too tough for him as they all ate the food that was laid out before them.

The Sheikah people were loyal to Hylia and as such loyal to the princess by default as they tutored the girl on more information they had discovered. The others roamed around the village as it was at a favorable climate to where they didn’t need any resistant things or clothing. The village children had tugged them in different directions and several times he sees Daruk and Urbosa having a lifting a child competition while Mipha was singing a hymn from the Zora for them. He and Link however….

“Even now you can’t help taking up all these little side quests,” Revali was somehow coerced into holding a couple of chickens in his arms as Link holds a hen in his. They’re walking down a dirt path, returning several pet chickens that a tiny girl had lost and she wipes at her snotty nose and tears when she sees them.

She thanks them in the one payment children could, whatever is on them which was some exotic fruits that Link saves for the others. Sooner or later they’d be peckish.

Link has a goofy smile on his face like the one he always gets when salivating over food or shield surfing and Revali lets him take out the chicken’s feathers from his. Preening was something he should do often for self-care but on the road, it was something Revali couldn’t really do, at least not privately. It’s also something intimate if done with someone else a voice says traitorously and Revali ignores it and his bundled feelings.

Zelda prays at the Hylia statue like she had at Rito and they make their way toward the wetlands.

*

It’s when they’re by the bridges that they run into trouble.

Tons of Lizalfos had swamped the bridges and they retreated to where they saw a cowering guard. Mipha has told them that there had been an infestation of them through the current letter she received and the royal guards were taking care of the situation. Which was why they visited there last as it would hopefully be resolved but there were shoddily made defenses and platforms that told them they had been there for some time.

Relieving the guard of his duty, Mipha had said that they would quickly dispatch the enemies, Revali didn’t know if she was a gracious ruler to her people or was frustrated by the running amok lizards.

‘What we should do is divide into two groups: short-range and long-range.’ Link signs and Revali translates what the others couldn’t quite get. He then draws a diagram in the caked mud with a stick, using pretty bad scribbles to describe them.

“Art is sadly not your forte,” Revali goads him and Link scribbles their names on top of the drawings to appease him.

Revali, Urbosa, and Zelda would do long-range as Zelda had trained with archery more than the sword due to the weight and that her nimble fingers could handle one, expertly enough. However, she had used weapons before taught by the Sheikah but only in stimulations, doing it in real-time had her more than skittish.

Urbosa would stay in the treeline using her lightning to strike down the Lizalfos too out of range while Daruk would use his shield because Mipha was prone to the electric arrows and now she knew why it had been taking so long. The Lizalfos had somehow gotten the arrows and the Zora people weren’t immune to electricity due to their conductive skin.

Link gives his bow and quiver off his back to Zelda, who jumps onto Revali’s back. It was the first time the princess had been on his back and her dainty fingers wormed into his feathers, cold from the rain was washing down on them. He can see Link is nervous at letting him protect the princess as it was a knights job but it was the best course of action as they couldn't all swim.

“Since it’s raining quite heavily, two eyes will be better than one,” Zelda coaxes out of him a hmph and they soar up promptly getting rained on. Zelda has on her cloak so Revali gets the brute of the storm as it’s turbulent but blessedly there’s no sight of lightning in the grey clouds above them.

He flies too fast for any of the creatures to hit them and Zelda manages to kill and wound them while Revali switches his arrows to ice as the fire and bomb ones would be dampened by the storm. It’s too rainy for him to see what’s happening down below, rain drumming in his ears. It isn’t until they’re near their goal that it started to come apart at the seams.

The Lizalfos had adapted and shielded themselves and scampered to where their weak links were which was Urbosa, being the only one out. They began to converge on her as she fought like a whirlwind and Revali could see that even she was beginning to get overwhelmed by them. The others were too far to help her, though Link was starting to branch out to her while Daruk and Mipha made their way to the last bridge. In his opinion, Zoras had too many bridges and not enough stairways.

“Revali we got to help her!” Zelda’s commanding voice made him fly down and he dispatched a bunch until they turned their attention to the pair.

Urbosa fought her way towards Link and Revali saw that the damned things were climbing cliffs and trees to get a vantage point. He’s too close to the trees and not far enough in the sky as Zelda had started letting volleys out before he can fly up further.

It isn't before it’s too late that Revali notices something is wrong. One of them is aiming for Zelda and Revali sees the arrow launch and knows he doesn’t have time to evade it. Turning himself around the arrow goes right through his breastplate and shocks him. The impact nearly knocks the wind out of him along with the aftershock but he steels himself against it. Thankfully Zelda doesn’t get the effects as bad as he does as she had taken an elixir from before. They only had a sparse few left that they hadn’t used from the Gerudo deserts or weren't already partially drunk from.

The sickly green bolts go through him, vibrating. It’s a burning sensation that bore a hole in him and he knows Zelda is screaming at him but he still has some will in him.

“Princess stop your yelling, please.” It shuts her up to see that he’s still responsive and he thinks it’s a pity those tears are wasted on him because he isn’t dying yet. “This landing is going to be less than graceful so hold on tightly so you won’t get too hurt.”

Distantly, there are the glowing arches that lead into Mipha’s home and he sees the others that are waiting for them with the sentries. Although it couldn’t quite be compared to his home, it looked heavenly to him right now.

There’s no doubt that the others had seen that he had gotten hit if the stream of blood he was painting the sky with was any indicator. The Lizalfos are still trying to land another lucky hit that Revali outmaneuvers and blows them and those pest arrows away with his gale, his bow in his talons. It would take too much strength to use it and Zelda had yelled in his ears to conserve his energy and fly while she handled it, and oh did that sting his ego.

Revali had gotten hit with arrows before, even shock arrows but it didn’t make it less excruciating than the first time. He can’t recall when he had been hit in the chest though and if it was an enchanted arrow because he swears his heart jerked in and out from the remaining electricity pumped into his bloodstream. The burning is lessening and he feels like he’s flying on the mountaintops, from how cold it is. His wing clips a tree or two and they’re going down, that much he’s aware of.

Yet he thinks fast enough to act and flips Zelda in his arms as his back scrapes into the dirt, the princess’s added weight pressing onto the arrow to his chest and he lets out a rather undignified yell. Zelda tried to get up but they’re surrounded he thinks from what his clouding vision can see and he pins her close to him, can feel her rabbiting heartbeat.

Revali probably looks like a sea urchin, he feels like one from all the pine needles and arrows protruding from him. He puts his arms to cover her because he’s going to protect the princess to the end. Even if it isn’t his sworn duty, Zelda was more than haughty royalty something like a friend and he would hate to see her hurt. Better him than her.

The pain isn’t as bad as the first one, he feels frozen now and blissfully weightless. He keeps repeating that he’s felt worse, dealt worse, but his body is in agony and he keeps from screaming to not frighten Zelda anymore than he had. The rainfall plasters on them, mixing blood and mud on their skin and clothes that will probably take ages to clean out. They’ve stopped short of their destination, the luminous pillars hurting his eyes from how bright they are.

Zelda really is sobbing now as she forces fairy tonics on his wounds and in his mouth and he really just wants to sleep. He’s tired and soaping wet and he’ll probably catch a fever from the rain. Her royal clothing is ruined but she ruins it further as she tears at her sleeves and hem and Revali couldn’t help but marvel at her resourcefulness. A researcher, a princess, and an improviser—if she did give up on being a conduit for the Goddesses she could totally be something else if she wanted.

The red on her doesn’t suit the blue she wears he thinks hazily, his mind and body decimated and frazzled. Both had given out in cooperation but Revali could wheeze out whatever complaint he had from his stubbornness to Zelda who was occupied with trying not to break down.

“Princess—“ she listens but her hands don’t stop groping all over him, trying not to dislodge the arrows and staunching the blood. “—Zelda, stop crying. Your face is a mess.” She hiccups out a laugh because he is capable of insulting her, still. She nearly stops what’s she’s doing because had he ever called her by her name?

He hoped that she wasn’t blaming herself too hard and that she wasn’t already picking the next candidate for his Divine Beast. Because who else would pilot her? They’d have to wait another decade or so for someone as good as him to be born.

Others are crossing the bridge towards them and Revali wants to yell cause clearly they aren’t out of the woods yet, literally still in the forest judging from the brambles that were on him. However, the princess is gone from his side and then there’s Link looking scared and frantic and he has no concept of space because he’s cramming himself by him, hands everywhere. He’s yelling something that the humming in his head buzzed out but has everyone staring at Link and oh he’s crying too—what is it and Hylians touching him and crying—

Then Revali blacks out. From all the pain and chaos he had generated, it may have been the best for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip Revali...  
> Since I'm going back to college updates will be more infrequent please be patient. Sorry for the cliffhanger!


	8. Bedridden but Loved by All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the last chapter ended on...that, I made an attempt at lighthearted humor and trying to get into Ravioli's headspace. Expect more of my poor excuses at humor haha. Also what even is a word count ahahaha...

When Revali comes to he swears he can still taste the coppery tang of blood on his tongue, singed flesh beneath his feathers. All of the other Champions, including the princess, were shouting and why are they still making so much of a racket, he wants to sleep.

Link is pulling at him and the others are pulling some other part of him and why are they so indecisive about…what? For what, for him? Well, he was a big deal and all but it didn’t warrant this type of treatment.

Revali protests, airway making a squelching sound that causes him to spit out some bad blood and a banshee screech tells him it had probably landed on someone. They turn to him, not arguing with each other and he’s oh so thankful because he can sleep in peace finally.

He passes out again and for good this time.

*

Revali awakens and wishes that he could go back to sleep. He feels like a Lynel had danced on him before pulverizing him in the chest with its club.

Everything ached and throbbed and he’s not so numb like before but he’s still so cold. There’s a chemical smell from the electricity, smelling like fried chicken and he dry heaves when his stomach gurgles because he’s not hungry enough to eat his thigh off… yet. A chill rippled through him and he curls up into himself until it’s bearable and he isn’t incoherently wanting to eat poultry. His stomach lurches angrily but he doesn’t throw anything up because he's pretty sure there’s nothing else in him besides arrow holes and lightning marks.

When he wriggles his head, he sees that he’s lying down in a cot in what he assumes is the medical bay despite that there are no healers.

All by his lonesome and he’s glad that he is because he attempts to get up but doesn’t get too far. He bruises his jaw, beak clacking as he rattled at the impact of his head whamming into the bed frame and he knows that Hylia was getting her revenge on him for all of his dissing.

One of his wings is bandaged and his dominant one that would hold his bow is in a sling, immobilized. A wide berth of white wraps around his chest and middle and he feels too naked without his armor or his skirt that Urbosa nicknamed it.

At least he wouldn’t have to do repetitive procedures at the castle for a while because those had become so unnecessary.

Revali grapples with himself into sitting and why were the Zoras so enamored with their lights. Everything around him was an aquatic blue and everything shimmered and it was all giving him the biggest headache.

He knew that he had a lot of blood gone if just trying to sit him up had him craving an hour-long nap. Hopefully, he doesn’t get nerve damage from how badly he was burned, crispy, and he really needed to eat something soon. He’s achy all over and he shivers through his hunger but before he can investigate, Link comes trudging in. In his arms are fish and more fish and Revali’s stomach rumbles even at the unappetizing dead-eyed trouts. Link drops his fishes and Revali met his gaze for as long as he’s conscious.

“You’re up…” Link’s voice is unsteady, thinly worn out like he’s been yelling his whole life when it’s the opposite. Before he can say anything, Link rushes to him and he’s got an armful of Hylian. Revali accepts it even if Link smells awfully like baking fish because who could refuse Link? It propels them both over, back on the bed because he’s still wobbly in the legs and he groans. Link’s hands go all over him like all Hylians seemed to do around him.

“Yes yes I live.” He graces Link with his own voice despite how sharp and gross it sounds. He feels gross from all this sweating and the miserable state he’s in doesn’t help.

“Besides, it'll take a lot to kill me. Hyrule and the Goddess also need me to pilot that beast and it wouldn’t make sense to not have me,” he mocks but there is no bite in his tone. He's too achy and he’s sweating to where he feels sticky and overheated.

Link drapes the blanket back over him to put him back in bed despite that he’s met with resistance. “Mipha had thought that you would get a fever.” A hand goes to his forehead, parting his crest there and Revali turns from it. “The electricity did some damage to your body but all the fairy tonics and healing got you out of danger.”

Revali fights the irritation that came with sleep and sickness because he knew he would get sick from all the rainwater he swallowed. His fever chills had him shuddering and Link pats at his chest, softly as if to quell his tremors and temper.

“You should rest. You’ve been out for a day and night,” Link’s voice is horrible to listen to, but it mollified him to where it’s hard keeping his eyes open.

“Haven’t I done enough sleeping?” It’s meant to be a joke but Link bypasses it as he begins to cook something for him that the other says will help with the pain but he’s already tumbling into darkness again.

Revali guesses that Link will have to feed it to him while he’s asleep.

*

This time Zelda is by his bedside.

The girl is as serene as the flowing waters above and below them, in a garment that resembles the Zora, threading of silver jewelry twining on her arms and head. The sunbeam that stayed persistent on his face had him wake up and his stirring had her peer up from her reading. Her majesty is reading a love novel and when did the princess read romance in her leisure? For all the time he had known her for, she read historically accurate texts, not fiction but there in her hands was a purely fictional story. Upon his awakening again, she shuts the book and her eyes creased into a smile before her lips do.

“I owe you my life for how you selflessly put yourself out there for me. It truly was heroic.” Revali almost scoffs if it wasn’t for the sincere way she looks at him, her grand words meaning every bit of what she meant. Grandeur was just a part of her now like his arrogance and he lolls his tongue in his dry throat. He really wanted something to drink. “Revali you were almost like a knight.”

Okay, maybe that one was too much even for Revali. Revali exhales wheezily in objection, the lungful letting out into coughing. Zelda reaches for the glass of water by her and Revali takes it in his good wing because no he won’t let her hold it for him. He may be downed but he had functional enough hands—hand.

He flops over on his side. “Leave that to Link, one promised knight is enough for me and Hyrule,” he says dramatically to the point of sarcastic but Zelda sees right through him. His head and body aren’t as sore as before and he can now prop himself on the pillow without assistance, although the Princess helps him regardless. In a way, she’s similar to Link, mother henning him to where he couldn’t escape from it because he was confined to the excuse of bed rest. He was only recovering, he wasn’t some invalid.

“It seems that your fever has broken,” she examines him closely and Revali can feel that the illness isn’t as intense as before although it still lingers. “You’re not deliriously saying things anymore—“

That brings his attention to a full front stop. Anything that involved him interested him because why wouldn’t it? Seeing him take the bait, Zelda doesn’t let anything else past her lips.

“I didn’t say anything too puzzling, did I?” Revali would hate if he sang to Link about how he thought his eyes were prettier than any sky or sea he had seen or if he spilled anything else, whether if it was Link-related or not.

“No I was only kidding,” she glances off into the sparkling waterfalls of Zora, coquettish grin on her features. Revali can see that she knows more than he lets on but he can’t cross his arms so he goes for a displeased frown she doesn’t even see. “Rather it was Link who said some interesting things while you were passed out.”

Oh, right. Before he had blacked out, breaking out all the fantastic dramatics in his untimely near-death, Link had said something. Yet he hadn’t caught it due to the fact he was busy bleeding out on the nicely polished bridges. Maybe permanently there would be a big bloodstain that would be his legacy for the Zora to remember his visit by. Better yet, they’d make a better way to get to the domain than the winding bridges because of him.

Although he’s very curious he doesn’t ask what Link had said to him or the fact that he had talked in front of everyone meaning they all knew. Instead, he asks something else that had been on his mind on a loop.

“Y'know...Link had been….” He mentally goes through his vocabulary, “...ostracized by the kingsmen when he had returned to Hyrule.” He doesn’t miss how Zelda tenses, but he pushes on the initial discomfort that both of them feel. “He didn’t want me to worry, that imbecile, and that’s why he never told me you two had an argument. So are you two, alright?

Link had told Zelda before about Revali’s ways of caring that she had pried from him and Zelda had observed them long enough to know that Revali’s was a bit of a tough loving kind of person. From all the snark he said, there was some compassion hidden in there even if she had to squint for it. Sufficient to say, he was bearable.

“We no longer are at odds if that’s what you’re asking. I owe my life to him as well.” Zelda keeps her eyes out the window, thinking. “When we were much younger I knew of how some treated him. They knew nothing of his circumstances.” Her face was wrinkled up in distaste. “When that happened once more I put a stop to it, although I did hear that a fearsome birdman was doing that well enough.”

Revali puffs up because who dared to call a Rito warrior a birdman, the audacity, the ignorance. When he got back, he would definitely go through with hanging the knights by their underwear.

“We did get in an argument because I thought that Link didn’t trust me enough until he told me his feelings. He can be difficult to understand yet I understand him now a bit better and I’m happy he has you.” He puffs up a bit more until he gets it under control and he notices that his feathers had been cleaned out thoroughly. He wonders if it was any of the healers who did it or someone else, the scent familiar but misplaced. He realizes that it’s Zelda’s, the fragrant scent of Silent Princesses perfuming his skin and he’s touched.

Zelda watches him and Revali realizes that she isn’t a simple princess at his beside, an plain realization. Now looking at her, Hylians were more easy on the eyes than some other inhabitants of the land and Revali feels something like pride that she’s their princess and likes her not for her looks but of her intellect, even if she has yet to take her birthright. She was doing as much as any of them were.

She goes on, wistful. “When I was younger, my mother used to teach me all the wonders of a world that could exist inside a book.” Zelda never talked about her mother to them, much less him. He doesn’t stop her though because that was rude and this was some unspoken privilege. “Often I wish I had my own lab where I could study relics, take apart the guardians to see if they can be wired for something more and yet…” she looks down at her hands, letting them rumple in the fine fabric of her dress. “…I’m Hyrule’s princess. It is my fate to seal the darkness, claim my birthright.”

For a moment she hunches in on herself and Revali feels nothing but sympathy now for her. She’s too young for the fate of the world to fall on her if she failed but they couldn’t give up now, not after all this. But maybe...

Revali speaks then. “After the war. After all of this is over when Calamity Ganon is sealed, you can peruse Hyrule of all its secrets.”

Zelda nods but says nothing else. There's an unsaid, but how long will his sealing away last? How many more times? They recede into silence and from how the princess demeanor was, she was feeling more hopeless than the hope he had tried to inspire her with.

So, Revali moves from it. No point in dwelling on it.

“Now that Link talked I guess his secret is out to everyone else,” Revali surmises and Zelda looks back to him, eyebrows quirked up.

“I think the others were more surprised at Link showing so much emotion. That he was crying more than he was speaking,” she enclosed.

Revali winces because he’d hate to see Link upset or that he was the cause of it. Still...if it got Link to stop acting so rashly than he’d consider it more of a win than his loss. Revali shifts in his bed and he really should get up if he doesn’t want any bedsores.

“Are you alright princess? You were crying and screaming too,” Revali says bluntly.

Zelda blushes to the ends of her ears and she clears her throat daintily. “Rest assured I was not injured. I am in perfect health, thank you. Now focus on getting yourself to perfect health as well.” She gets up as she takes her leave, giving him an impish smile that she’s definitely learned from Link. “Your knight awaits you.”

*

Who would have thought that Revali would make more friends? Not including Link, he didn’t count.

Urbosa had woefully taken pity on him until she exceeded her visitation rights that had Revali faking his sleep while Mipha dutifully checked on her patient, uttering a thank you though he doesn’t know why. Daruk had cheered him on, on just about anything to where he would get up and stand and Daruk was roaring his encouragement.

Revali was seriously questioning the princess or if Link was ever going to show up any time this year. The day was coming to a close, the sunrays dispersing on the refracted Zora waters, and Revali suspected that the children outside were torturing him with their freedom. Even if he was imprisoned in this room, the sunsets were nice enough to look at. Link was nowhere to be seen and the medical bay was painfully boring although he did get some enjoyment in cawing like a bird to scare off nosy sentinels.

His paranoia gets interrupted with the arriving footsteps of Link. In his hands is his armor, already fixed that Revali wouldn’t have known that an arrow had pierced it. Link hands it to him and Revali can hardly contain himself.

“I thought my armor had been thrown out! When I asked the healers they just put me back to sleep. Amazing, it looks better than before if I’m being brutally honest,” Revali praises as he gives it a critical eye. Link is red in the face, breathy, but still gives him a smile at the other’s happiness.

“Sorry for the wait,” Link responds to him, glancing at him expectantly.

It clicks then why no one had seen him all day and why he was practically squeaking out his breaths, he had been in Rito. How he got back was a mystery that could be saved for another day.

For now, Revali looked at the refurbished metal, the odor of new leather making him giddy. It was as if he had gone and bought him a new set from how shredded the old one had been. The craftsmanship was from someone skilled and no doubt a Rito warrior from the stitching and materials used and Revali appreciates the amount of care that Link had for him as he was picky with these kinds of things.

Carefully, he sits at the end of his cot and there’s something on his mind. He looked solemn and Revali wonders if he spent his knight’s allowance on it. Revali puts the armor somewhere on the bed because sometimes, Revali was capable of patience. Link takes a deep breath before he bursts out with something Revali hadn't expected in the slightest.

“Did you know Zelda and Mipha were dating?” Link says suddenly and Revali would be lying if he said he did know. It did explain things now, from how often they had been together and why Zelda was wearing such extravagant clothing even if she was a princess it had to be hand-tailored. The two princesses did go off together a lot, talked about their duties and love of their homes and—oh now he could see how it happened.

“No, I didn’t. Good for them. Should we give them a congratulatory party?” He says the last part, jesting. Revali doesn’t know if the rest of their ragtag team knew or if the Zoras had a hint that their princess had fallen in love with another princess of another kingdom. It would be an epic love series if a novelist caught wind of it.

They sit a bit more in an oppressive stance, silenced if it wasn’t for the outside sounds of young children playing in the splashing waters. All this silence and sitting was making Revali antsy, they were too close yet too far. If he just moved a bit closer, turned his head up to his—

“Do you know how scared I was when you fell from the sky?” Link says, tone flat. Revali scrunches up his face because he doesn’t want to listen to whatever Link was going to say because he’s heard of it before, a thousand times over and it was done better by his mother. “How much blood you lost? It was almost enough to kill you.” His voice is deathly calm and it makes something in Revali flinch. It reminds him of when Link a few months ago when he was out of reach and too silent. Revali opens his mouth to retort he’s still very much alive thank you very much but Link won’t let him.

“Did you know my parents aren’t my biological ones?” He says this secret, softer. Revali eyes nearly bugged out because of all the time he’s known Link, he hadn’t known that. Link meets his eyes, calm as he had made even with his past many times over. There was nothing left unsaid now. “Although I called them my parents, I was an orphan.”

It’s almost unsettling how at ease he says it. It had been so long ago but Revali can still remember the real love that young Link had for them.

“That doesn’t mean anything. They loved you all the same,” Revali says as if he’s trying to convince him and Link only returns a bittersweet smile.

“When we left Rito for Hyrule, there had been a letter left for me. Inside was condolences from my mother.” Was that why Link had never called Gale his mother or called him a brother, what was his concept of family exactly? Clearly that had been eroded down years ago and Revali doesn’t know if he’s the best person to tell Link what family exactly is or if he can. “I had been raised by forest spirits before I was placed in the Temple of Time. But even without the letter I always knew something in me was…different from the rest. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Even from the beginning Link had been destined to do something, hand-delivered by the Goddesses themselves. Maybe he had become aware of it even if no one told him so because this was his one calling.

But what happened after the war, after he completed his role? What then? Continue being a knight, an oath to the sword?

Even if he was the heralded hero, even if he would be reincarnated over and over again to fight against evil, he was Link. Nothing, not the world, not the king or princess and townspeople, or those long-winded prophecies—could ever change him. Only he could change himself.

Until forever, he would be Link to him.

“I can be your family if that’s what you want,” Revali says aloud and Link stares. Then they both end up staring at the other for an excruciating minute. Involuntary, he’s fluffing up but doesn’t take it back because he means it.

Revali just had to let him know that he would be there for him, even if he thought he was alone in the world. He wouldn’t be alone not while Revali was still alive and flying.

“No you can’t be my family. I don’t lo—“ Link stamps out his words and his cheeks are red enough that Revali knows when he’s really shy and out of his element. Link never gets shy around him, unless—

What that next word that he was about to say was scarily like something that Revali had been suppressing. So he had to know now, what he was going to say.

“You don’t what? Why can’t I be your family?”

They’re so close to it now that it’s nearly tangible Revali seeing how Link’s eyes inch their way back to his own. His temperature rising isn’t from his leftover fever, his pulse racing, accelerating—because what will happen next?

Link stares back at him and Revali thinks about how he can admire how blue his eyes are and Revali focuses on that and not how the next words Link says could make or break his heart.

“I can’t love you like that because I love you.” His voice was strong, unwavering.Well that’s not what he had expected and Revali is rightfully confused and Link stumbles on with his wording. ”Romantically, not at all like a family so—yeah,” Link clumsily ends, in a woosh of a breath. He had never been skilled in words, give him is sword instead and then maybe he spell it out.

When was the last time they had said they loved each other and for it to grow out of its childish innocence? Revali honestly can’t remember but he doesn’t want too. Link said he loves him. It wasn’t the word like, like he thought it may have been and somehow it made this feel more real.

Before Revali can’t let him run away or take it back (like he would ever let him) he holds his hand into his. Link’s fingers are jittery but when he touches him, it lets Link relax enough for him to remember that breathing is needed for survival. He takes a gulp of air and it would be funny if it had been something besides love. Link had been so at war at himself but now it has been done. No going back now.

“—Link are you listening to me. You don’t need to panic. Honestly, you look like someone who's seen a ghost, you’re going to spook me too.” It’s been a while since Link had felt that panicked other than the very traumatic experience of seeing someone he declared his love to dying in his arms. “I love you too though.” For an extra measure that isn’t sappy at all if someone questioned Revali, he signs it in Link’s upturned hand, pressing it firmly into his palm.

Link is wide eyed and Revali thinks that right now he was doing to kiss him then and there but he’s seen how Hylians kissed and that thought goes up in flames. So he says he loves him with every ounce of loving he can muster into it again, hand branding it to his that has Link get closer to him, where he’s under the sheets and resting his head on his chest. Their hands are still joined and faintly Revali can feel love traced back into his.

Revali being himself, had to show off his cockiness.

“Hey don’t you think it’s a bit too early for those shenanigans, bed-warming and such,” Revali croons because it’s a great feeling when you’re mutually loved by a person you’ve pined after for so long. Revali couldn’t deny it now, that he was a sorry fool in love with a Hylian. It went beyond whatever Hylian fetish he had mistaken it for and Ritos wouldn’t do anything for Revali now. Oh, and the relentless tormenting that he would get from the others, he languished. Not at all sensing his random inner talks, Link hugged him, not at all embarrassed because what did he have to lose?

Something else fits into place and Revali glances down toward him. “Is that why you never called me brother?”

Link nods a little. “My feelings were way more jumbled before I realized it that I really loved you, not in a friendly way.” Revali keeps his mouth shut letting him continue. “From when we were younger, I knew what I felt towards you. It felt icky to call you that, so I never did. I think Gale knew so that’s why she never called me son, to not and confuse my morals or something.”

It’s a homely silence as it’s now night, the nightlights of the domain twinkling as children still played outside of the ward and Revali envies their boundless energy.

“Silence was convenient for me to deny but I think we all did a lot of denying since you love me too.” Link is a bit bolder now because even if they couldn’t kiss how Hylians or Rito did, Link could love him any way he wanted.

His cheek nuzzled into Revali’s who mirrors it and Link takes in the trill that comes deep within his diaphragm, Link already liking it. He had heard Gale done it before in a motherly gesture and he concluded that it’s a noise of affirmation and love. Rito couples had down the same sounds and it makes his insides fuzzy because Revali was doing the same with him. Link kisses his face, the juvenile redness of Revali’s cheeks that he had yet to outgrow and places another kiss on his beak.

“We just said our I love you’s today and now you’re going to rush into this. This is your _first_ relationship right?” Revali has his fun at his eagerness but Link shook his head before he’s toeing off his shoes and socks.

He’ll be staying the night, that much he had made his mind up because Link didn’t want to be left alone and it was a big benefit that all Rito were so soft and warm. It was miles better than a frigid waterbed that he had popped.

Revali being the proper gentleman he is, averts his eyes as Link takes off his tunic and trousers with no shame. No decency whatsoever for himself and Revali also had to remind himself that he doesn’t have his armor on either and he’s as good as naked as the day he was hatched. As much as he wanted, he was in no condition for that yet. He’d have to prepare his heart for _that_ because Link was about to give him a heart attack because did Hylians show that much skin when they sleep?

He’s seen less than this, butt-naked Link, his brain unhelpfully supplies. Oh great now he was going to have images of Link’s rump for the whole night.

Link spares him of an early heart attack, standing in his underwear and sleeping shirt as he heaps his things by the bed, sword on top. His bow had been lost but he could easily make another. Maybe ask Revali for his.

“So? It’s your _first_ relationship too don’t get too cocky,” Link grunts out, struggling with not stepping on his sword because the moonlight isn’t a torch and it was dark even with the lit-up pillars. “I’ll have you know that I’ve said I love you a lot.”

“Not when we were kids that doesn’t count,” Revali says back at him, letting him scoot back into bed.

His feet are icy and Revali narrows his eyes because he isn’t going to play footsies with him. Actually, could they even do that? His talons were razored and he instinctively moves them away because that would definitely kill the mood. Link refrains from doing whatever he was planning on and instead wedged his way to where he’s sucking the body heat from him like Revali’s only purpose was to exist as a big feathery heating pad. Revali frowns but can’t bring himself to be really mad and he’s already upset that Link is making him adore him more than he thought he already did and frowns more at absolutely nothing.

Link takes a thoughtful pause before he talks. “No, I said it on the bridge.” Ah, so that’s what he said. Revali had to applaud him that it had only taken his close ascension to Hylia to get them to speak freely about this. Link thumbs at the bandages on his chest before fisting his hand, as if Link can feel the unpleasant wounds that aren’t there anymore. Revali sure can’t and thanks whatever magic Mipha had for that.

Link yawned and Revali thinks he looks tiny and adorable between his arms, all cozied. “Remember when Zelda said those rituals that Hylians did to show their affections? Those are our ways to say I love you.”

Revali blanks out before he remembered, remembering how they got off topic from how it escalated. Now Revali clued in on Zelda’s teasing. If a person that had spent most of his life as a mute he wouldn’t outright say something as monumental as a love confession. Instead, he would show it through smaller, safer actions.

Rejection couldn’t be delivered that way.

“So that’s why you left all those things in my room. I thought you were forgetful.” Link yawns at him again and Revali can tell he’s ready to sleep. Link had plenty of dark circles as of late and from how drowsy he was getting he was also very sleep deprived. No doubt running around for disgusting remedies and his armor which were all for him. Revali pauses, staring down at the boy because where were his manners? Link had been doing all of this for him and he hadn't even thanked him.

“Also thank you.”

“For what?”

“Everything. Running around and getting all these things, being a nursemaid even when we have Mipha and healers.” Revali inhales lazily. “Also you need to shower because I know you haven’t if you haven’t had time to even sleep.” Link hummed, not at all offended before craning his neck to look at him. In that single moment, in his sleep-deprived state as the moonlight seeped onto his face, onto strands of gossamer hair Revali doesn’t think he had seen him as beautiful and timeless, even if he didn't smell like a bouquet of flowers. It also made him want to marry him right there but considering that they had recently admitted their feelings in the last hour, he’d do that later.

Link then pouted at him because he had spent a lot of his time leaving those gifts there. “I can let it slide that I stink, but saying I’m forgetful? And Zelda says I’m dense.” Revali pretends he didn’t hear that.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice that we didn’t talk about marriage rituals we merely talked about courting, for Hylians. Don’t you think it’s rather unfair that you know all about the Rito and yet I do not?” His guilt-tripping doesn’t work as a grin on Link’s face began to bloom. So what is it that you Hylians do to get married?” Link’s eyes shone with a mischievous glint, ears twitching that Revali knows is intentional.

“If you want to know so badly why don’t you find out for yourself?” That was it, Revali had resigned himself to his fate. This lippy Hylian would certainly be his downfall.

“Don’t tempt me, I’m supposed to be bedridden,” Revali mumbles as he presses his cheek to Link’s this time reveling in the heaviness of having Link against him, the feel of his skin on his. He is very tempted to pinch his backside for payback but tragically his arms were still on the mend.

However Revali could get used to this as Link hunkers down and he is still fixated on snuggling into him. He knew Link was more of a restless sleeper from the number of punches he could get in, but here he was snuggling into him like the world was going to end if he didn’t. Before Link can even get into dreamland, Revali rouses himself up. Link rubs at his eyes and stared at him because they should be asleep, even the children had gone to bed and Link felt as if he was going to pass out now.

“Oh, before I forget,” Revali takes three of his sturdiest wings out casually before Link can yell at him because he’s still injured and ripping out feathers was not going to help. Shushing him, Revali sits up and puts Link in his lap. Link doesn’t seem thrilled that he had essentially plucked himself even when Link knew how the Rito did it. Still, it didn't mean he liked that part of it and he shows it grumbling and signing that Revali was in fact, a Cucco bird.

“Now I know that you didn’t just call me a Cucco.” Link cackles and sits on his hands.

From their proximity, a redness goes to the tops of his ears and down to the nape of his neck and it really is a pleasing sight that Revali takes pleasure in, his feathers tickling Link that made him airily laugh. “Hold still this will only take a minute. Or ten because that it's your hair.” Revali isn’t blind to Link’s ponytail that is matted, stinky and greasy and Revali tsks.

“You know you represent the Rito too, at least brush your hair out,” Revali doesn’t have anything on him so he clucked his tongue and makes do. Unsurprisingly, Link looks just as nice with his hair down but Revali could fawn over that for another day. His hair barely went down to his neck and when was the last time Link had his hair out of his ponytail because Revali would chew him out because that was a crime in Rito. Link cringes at how Revaki worked out the knots in his hair and huffs and Revali knows that he has the necessities to brush his own hair he just chooses not to, the stubborn boy.

The feathers would stay there for a while and a part of Revali whispered that it would be perfect if he was in Rito wedding robes and other unhelpful things to which he blocked out that nonsense because it was time to sleep.

Sleepily, Link grins, his hand coming to outline the bounded braid and reached for Revali’s and points to his because honestly he did wear out his voice today. Not to mention that sleep was rapidly overtaking him.

“Tomorrow morning you can try and touch my hair and see how far that gets you,” Revali cautions and Link takes his hand back, nodding owlishly.

Ultimately, Link falls asleep from his free head massage and heater, snoring softly. Revali scoffs but makes sure that the braid is tight and snug as he dragged his wing over him. He doesn’t even want to know what they both smelled like, one of them stewing in a cot and the other rolling around Hyrule’s hills.

Probably by the morning they’d fight over which one of them deserved the hot bath more. If Link wanted one he’d have to fight for it.

…Or Revali could go for a tie.

The tiebreaker being a kiss, obviously. However there was another solution Revali hadn’t thought of as he slept.

Obviously, they’d both win if they took a bath together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you guys didn't expect me to mention the letter but everything in this story is there for a reason :)  
> Also, Zelda and Mipha are going to be briefly mentioned as a couple in some chapters uwu I love my girls


	9. For Festivities Sake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some inspo from a fic Adrift (In The Skies You Gave Me) by Ezellia in the chapter where Revali talks to Urbosa. I hadn't realized how alike they were until I found the chapter.

“You know you should still be in bed. Mipha could harpoon me for this.”

“Oh don’t get your wings in a twist. I’m a hundred percent recovered, don’t go mother hen on me now.” Revali made so many bird related jokes and while Link made no comment on it and to Revali he had come to like it enough, where he would snort at the puns. Sometimes. Clearly, Revali had a more superior sense of humor out of the two.

After successfully getting cockblocked by Daruk the trio had passed some time in a heated room of freshwater as the Zora preferred to be bathed in more coveted streams. Revali was appreciative that they had been provided towels in the sauna for their—ahem, decency. There are some things that should be left unseen and they would never talk again about their communal showering.

Link had smuggled Revali out because even Link was contracting secondhand boredom from Revali when he came by. They don’t get far because the others are outside, by a fountain smack in the middle that had Link skidding his heels, Revali rear-ending into him. Apologetically, Link puts his hands up, a sorry, and Revali is glad that his arms can sign it back now, even if it was more sloppy than he initially liked. 

“Oh do my eyes deceive me? Or are those your one of a kind colored feathers in Link’s hair?” Urbosa says and everyone else is now scrutinizing them, piqued. “Unless Link has been disappearing to go off with some other Rito to elope.”

Mipha puts her hands on Sidon’s head to preserve his childhood virtues, the babe babbling between her and Zelda, sitting together like they were peas in a pod. Mipha politely looks at Urbosa that makes the Gerudo woman sigh, toning it down only for the little one. Her blue lips crook up and Revali had predicted that she would have been the first to have her fun and he hadn’t been wrong yet. 

She seriously looks to Link. “Link, as loveable as you are, your taste in men is atrocious.” Mipha not as politely coughs pointedly and Urbosa shrugs speaking her truth, even if she was incorrect. 

“You’re atrocious,” Revali maturely sends back and Urbosa raises one of her perfect brows at him.

“At the rate you’re going, when you propose to Link it will take the next several hundred years. Don’t come crying to me if he does go galavanting off with another Rito.” He has no comeback and falls back on indignant huffing. 

So what if it had taken a while for them to say it, relationships took time and compromising and even more time to build and Link was no romp in the forest. Then again time was of the essence, maybe they’d have their anniversary on the day that the war finally starts, knowing their luck. 

“They’re together now?” Daruk busts out saying and Revali groans, his wing between his eyes because they were all beyond help. Hopeless, absolutely hopeless.

Zelda’s laughter is like a wind chime in a breeze as Daruk proceeded to shake Link’s hand and whacking his back nearly sending Revali flipping into the water. Mipha adoringly gazes at her and Revali thinks he could gag at seeing a couple so besotted with each other. They weren’t even being as discreet but who was Revali to judge.

“While you were getting your beauty sleep, Link had been talking about you. Maybe one day he will talk as much as you do,” Urbosa says and Revali didn’t know if he should take it as a compliment but since it’s Urbosa he does. “Link obviously has always loved you though I haven’t had the faintest idea why.” Link’s face is an indescribable color and he gives a nervous chuckle.

“I’ve already been told that apparently a lot, but thank you for imparting your wonderful knowledge.” Link elbows him in his ribs and he rasped out a wheeze. Urbosa smirks good-naturedly because she’s a saint, sipping her magically procured wine despite it being the mid-afternoon. She frowns down at it because nothing could really compare to hometown comforts and she sighs through her nose.

When Revali had been out cold they had all sat Link down and all sifted through some lies, some truths and some secrets he had been holding for a long while. The poor boy was battling with his tongue and hands to explain himself but there was really no explanation needed. They had trusted Link and whatever reason he had for not talking was valid from where he was coming from. They understood and Link was grateful for such nice friends. 

“I think it’s nice that they finally said it. I had begun to think that my bet would be passed.” Mipha not as stealthily takes the pouch from Urbosa and Revali is completely affronted. 

“You placed a betting pool on Link and me? He outright shrills and he can see that Urbosa was a smidge closer to snapping her fingers together to annihilate them all, the sore loser. Serves her right, of all the things to put her riches on.

“We girls had to pass the time somehow. Besides, it was just a matter of time. Close corridors and all.” Link was transforming into a Fire ChuChu at the color his face was becoming.

“Okay, you’ve had your laughs you miscreant leave him be,” Revali remarks. Discreetly he puts a hand on his back that Link doesn’t pull from and from a distance it looks just like a friendly stretch of an arm. They go over by the rim of Zora Domain, outlooking the waterfalls.

They’re both introduced to Sidon who is carried in his sister’s embrace, Mipha’s baby brother. Compared to his father who took up the capacity of an entire room, Revali had to glimpse down to even see him. He’s more of a fish than a shark, having oversized fins for a head, near toppling over before Mipha balances him by the hand. Shyly, he waves to them, Link signing a hello with an accompanying smile because he wholly can get the mousy child. Mipha teaches him how to sign it back and he grins, sharp-toothed that is puzzlingly still cute.

Revali is not at all jealous of a baby. 

Not one bit as Link lets Sidon up on his shoulders, letting him play with him but takes his sword to the side of his hip. Sidon looks at it with intrigue before getting distracted at the feathers in his hair. 

Link had always been better at handling kids, knew what to say and do. Revali still thinks that his popularity is due to his sword or that he was a royal knight because that was somehow more exciting to kids. A bow and arrow were much more exciting like a sword could strike down an enemy a yard away. Although...Link’s sword could...

As Sidon is let down after riding on Link’s back, the boy bumped into his leg and Revali peers down and no he isn’t glaring.

The boy doesn’t wail at him, doesn’t hide behind his sister’s leg like he expected him to. Instead, the toddling Zora puts his hands up. Then he stares at him.

“Oh dear, it seems Sidon has taken a liking to you Revali. I think he’s seen Rito flying around when they visit here.” Not one to let down an admirer, Revali can feel his chest feathers billowing out. 

“At least he can recognize elegant taste,” Revali aims at Urbosa who only smirked at him some more and Revali can never win with her. Sidon makes an attempt to clamber up his leg but Revali had a reputation to upkeep and doesn’t move to help. 

Well, not until he sees the shiny tears of the young prince and Mipha’s sunny stare quickly turning to stormy. The Zora people seem to take notice of him now and those spears are rather sharp looking today. Wisely, Revali chooses to play with the sniveling trout of a Zora. With prestige came responsibility.

“He’s a master at manipulation, who taught him this,” Revali says accusatory as he bends down to pick the boy up and toss him on his back.

Link stops him from doing that, adjusting the boy to where he’s latched onto him like a Highland Lizard and Revali’s new armor cries in despair. Those waterworks had been faked, from how the child continually was leapfrogging on his back. His down feathers are yanked at and some even loosen that Revali laments at. The tyke takes in the newness of it, petting him and oohing at the plushness. He wasn’t for petting, he wasn’t some animal his dignity begged at him but Revali lets the prince do whatever because he did not want to find out what it felt like to be on the end of one of those spears.

“Fly up!” He pipes up and Mipha is taken aback as Sidon never spoke to strangers so directly before. “Fly, fly, fl—“

“If you must insist.” Revali surges up without so much of a warning that showers water droplets onto them. Urbosa gets the brunt of it and glowers at the water that diluted her wine. She pours the rest over the railings as they tried to pinpoint the duo with their eyes.

Revali goes up, further from the reservoirs and dams to where he knows that the young child had never seen these things outside of his home. The child doesn’t scream, doesn’t cry and Revali is again surprised as the boy whoops and giggles and urges him to go up higher and faster.

How could Revali say no to that? Even if he was a bit of a brat. Maybe he could convert a Zora to become a flyer instead of a swimmer. 

The peachy color of the sky and clouds do go swimmingly with the blue world down there, Revali thinks as he lets Sidon take in everything, the boy’s eyes shining with excitement. For flare, he’s somersaulting through the clouds and the young boy gets his hand to streak through one. It melted under his outstretched fingers and he takes in the scenery below them and just how much there really was beyond his home like his big sister had told him about. 

Then it’s over and Revali whirls down to where they've amassed a sizeable crowd. 

Someone had tattled on him and the reigning king had squeezed himself out of his throne where he stands in the midst of his palace. A Zora with a wide head and wider displaced eyes hollered something intelligible at him that he has his gale from the winds above, spin him on his back. 

Revali maintained his composure for his punishment as the Zora majesty glimpses at Revali and then to his son. The Zora gets up to bark at him further and Revali has the decency to bow then that makes his yapping cease and desist. The king nods at him but his eyes are resting on his son and Revali thinks then that he isn’t the one to get a punishment. This time. 

All the Zora people were there because the king moving from his throne room had made many of them inquisitive, following their majesty. Sidon surveys around before he squares his chest out in a very Revali like way and stands before his people and more importantly, his sister and father.

“Father, I would like permission to make him my betrothed.” There’s a clattering of a spear on the ground and exaggerated gasping that Revali stifles whatever sound that was exploding inside his throat because the king wouldn’t appreciate him laughing at his son. The aghast expression on the king’s adviser is the icing on his fruitcake. 

The Zora chatter among themselves than because who was this stranger to take away their young prince so soon already? Already he had made up his mind to proclaim marriage to this person; he must have made an impression. 

“Sidon you are too young to be asking of that now wait until you are older,” the whale of a ruler says, fatherly scolding the boy and Sidon pouts that showed just how young he is. Yeah, that wouldn’t work.

Off to the side Link is stifling whatever bout of hysteria behind the back of his forearm as Urbosa is outwardly laughing with Daruk that causes a ripple effect to where the Zora join along with them. Mipha is amused by her little brother and his proclamation of his first childhood love as Zelda hoped that the Zora aren’t offended that a Rito had nonchalantly made off with their highness’s heart. 

Revali was already promised to someone else but he didn’t want to break the spirit of his newest admirer. 

“Your little highness.” Revali captures the full attention of everyone which is exactly what he wanted. “While I am esteemed that you would consider me valuable of being your betrothed,” Sidon bounces up and down on his feet, “I am already promised to another.” That causes more gasping and Revali thinks anymore of that and someone would faint.

Deflating he slows his jumping and sniffs and Revali prays to Hylia that he won’t cry because no amount of bowing would get him out of that. Mipha’s trident seemed more threatening than before because when did she get that in her hands? 

However, the boy doesn’t and Revali hadn’t given him enough credit. If Link had rejected him at that age he would have been devastated.

“You are? To who?” Children were always full of questions wanting their answers but Revali didn’t have to lie about his love for his intended. It was plain for their friends to see as they all shared knowing looks to one another, Link beginning to redden and curls up on himself, hands over his eyes. He had been doing that a lot and Revali obviously was making it worse.

“Because I respect boundaries and privacy I will not give out any name. However—” Link stiffens up because a few had then centered on them, connecting the dots that Revali was laying down for them even if he didn't say a name. Many had seen Link in and out of the bay more times than allowed. “My intended has my heart and I have no room for another.” Revali didn’t care that much that this may reach throughout the corners of Hyrule. 

Instead, he gauged Link’s reaction as the boy’s ears flattened, so very colorful and pats himself on the back for a job well done, even if he may get chewed out for it later.

Childhood crushes could run very deep as Revali had come to find out. He’d let him down now as the Zora aged to where when Sidon got older he wouldn’t want an old senile bird. He’d spare him of that terrible future for Link to have.

“Oh.” Sidon didn’t understand the dichotomy of relationships yet so he tries again. He gives him a blinding smile, putting his pinky up. “Friends then?”

“That would be just fine. If you would do the honors, your majesty.” Putting his pinky finger out and lowering himself to the ground to be eye level with the prince, they hinged them together where Sidon then tipped his thumb to press against his own. His hand was dwarfed in Revali's wings and the boy gave him a big embrace for someone of his stature.

“This is my best friend Revali!” He then singles out someone. “And Muzu you can’t boss him around!” Sidon announces to the entire kingdom who clap at their cherished and loved heir while Muzu looks thoroughly cowed.

*

Later they have a rather spontaneous celebration for the officialization of this friendship and Revali comes to find that despite the size of King Dorephan his appearance is rather deceiving, his heart as big as he is. 

Although he’s a bit fed up with the catch of the day he can’t turn away the one the prince bestows upon him. As Revali had been passed out for most of his visit, he properly introduces himself and then apologizes for bleeding all over his kingdom. The King heartily gave a belly laugh at his introduction that briefly shook the kingdom and says he can stay as long as he likes, as a playmate for Sidon would be welcomed.

“Urbosa says I have competition and against a child.” Link sidles up against him as the celebration is in full swing, the Zora were lively even at night. “Think in a couple of years you’ll be the one galavanting away from me?”

“No, you’ll be stuck with me until we’re old and wrinkly. At least you’ll be, I’ll still be as handsome as ever,” Revali flounces his braids over his shoulder and Link grins at him. 

Getting up, he takes on Zelda’s invitation to dance with her, taking her hand in his. The princess and her knight had no sense of their formalities tonight, Zelda’s dress cascading in the iridescent lights, as she held up the skirt to kick up her leg. Hooking her arm through Link’s, he attempted to keep up with her, flailing like a fish out of water. 

His feet were trained for waltzes and marches and it showed until he went along with Zelda, smiling with her.

Revali shares a secretive stare to Mipha who smiles like she holds all of the enigmas in her head before she goes to dance with her brother, letting him pull her along. Daruk is making conversation with the king for advice on raising children and Urbosa...

“Zora sure know how to make things festive,” Urbosa uses him as an armrest, a cup brimming of alcohol in hand. The waiter retreats from her, after refilling her glass. “Though their alcohol could use improvement, it’s watered down.” Had she just made a pun? Revali was rubbing off of her more than he would have thought. But seeing how Urbosa has corrupted Mipha into gambling, anything was within the realm of possibilities.

“You sure do love your fine dining,” Revali says as he watches the love of his life dancing as best as he could, floundering as if he had been born with two left feet. No trips or stepping on toes, yet.

“I’m quite the sommelier. Besides life is funnier with a little more intoxication. Makes things interesting, people really show their true colors. Though you don’t need to get drunk for that.” Urbosa studies her cup, swirling the pooling liquid. “It’s better to drink it out of happiness than sadness.”

Revali couldn’t imagine Urbosa sad, drunk yes, but she wasn’t a sad drunk. The woman took another swig as they stood and examined the world around them, if only for a fleeting introspection.

“When I was dumber and younger I thought it was better to…” Urbosa cuts herself off and Revali looks to her, sees a glimpse of foreign grief before it dissolved into nothingness. 

Of all the places to reminisce, but Revali listens nonetheless. But the woman sighs instead because she wasn’t one to admit herself to sadness. Not yet, there were things to do and sadness had no place here. “...Well, the past is in the past. This is me reclaiming myself and that part. I do not drink by myself now but with friends. Life is happier shared with the people I love.” 

“I don’t have any alcohol though,” Revali interjects because maybe the woman was drunk now (despite that she could hold her alcohol well against someone like Daruk). 

Urbosa waggles her finger at him and Revali can’t grasp how her lipstick is still flawless even as she drinks. He guessed that a queen did have to present herself as one.

“In Gerudo Town, you are way under the age limit. Wait until you’re in your twenties and a vai.” Revali rolls his eyes at her.

“Y'know I would have thought that Sidon would be smitten with Link. Maybe you are as loveable as him.” Urbosa’s arm on him is becoming more of a sideways hug and Revali lets her because it was a rare moment of her profound affection for him, even with her riling him up. 

“You’re just envious I’m off the market,” Revali says to lighten her mood and it does the trick, the woman roars with a laugh like its the funniest thing he’s said, golden bangles and her skirt sequins jangling with her.

“Believe me when I say I am out of your league and you are far too young for me,” she languidly says, scoring another point for herself not that Revali was keeping a count or anything. If he was he would have a negative number. 

So, of course, he sees it as an opportunity. “Urbosa are you getting all soft on me?” He shouldn’t have said that as Urbosa’s cup veers down to where he steers it back to her because he wasn’t going to spend his evening scrubbing his tunic. “Maybe you have had too much of your fill in liquor.”

“I am soft when needed to be, which is not often. Softness is not needed now.”

“Duly noted.”

Their young friends are in a circle as the music moves along with them as the night wears on. The four of them dance with Sidon who was going between his sister and the Hylians, playing more than dancing. Daruk charges in and is hoisting them onto his shoulders, the girls giggling and Sidon shrieks at the prospect of a person that would let him have another piggyback.

Revali’s couldn’t help but notice how castaway from them she stares off, a faraway gaze in her eyes so he goes off his intuition. 

“Have you ever been in love Urbosa? Loved so fiercely that you can feel your heart beating in your chest?”

It comes out as a croak because Revali refuses to acknowledge that he’s getting sentimental over something like this.

For a second she stills, fingernail on the lip of the glass. Then she looks away to where their friends are. “Yes. Many times before. And I will continue to love. My Naboris and my town. My people, my friends. They are all of my love and even if we become scattered across the world or forget one another…” She looks to him, smiling. “As long as there is love, they will be with me.”

Lady Urbosa, Chieftain of the Gerudo, a fearless woman that fought in heels, the holder of Vah Ruta had and would always have a profound affection for those she loved. Revali says nothing else because he received his answer. Urbosa discards her fluted glass and takes him along with her to join the others, smiling still. It is not a sad one. 

She may have the riches of desert rubies and opulent gold and other treasures to behold but she knows that love triumphed all of those so easily. 

*

The month ended uneventfully that had Zelda equal parts desperate but content that she went through with her dream of expeditioning.

However, the king had been told of her scheme by gossipers and had sent her off to pray even more than before, practically living more at the Temple of Time than her own home. 

The king had dismissed them, on short notice to pack up their things and to leave now that he had been told of their training being completed. While they did want to go home, it felt like they were being alienated, sent back after serving their intended purposes. Perhaps to the king, they were seen as indispensable and Revli really thinks they may be as they’re not even escorted home. 

Clearly they had worn out their welcome.

Other than the fact that Urbosa or Mipha was about to punt the Ruler of Hyrule out of his balcony window they all knew they couldn’t go against him since he was, well the king. It didn’t mean that they were okay with it either, seeing the inner turmoil the princess wrestled with. Add on with unhelpful lectures that she had and she was stonier than the walls of her own castle.

‘I cannot go against my King’s decree, though I would like too. His word is law that we all have to abide by, going against it as a knight would be inexcusable.’ Link signs as his hands fidgeted with his sword. He tells them one day when they’re called for a meeting, as they’re all gathered together in the courtyards, Zelda once again missing. 

Occasionally even Link had been barred from seeing the princess as if the king had begun to think that his own knight was against him when obviously Link had the best intentions for everyone but himself.

Besides the annual meetings that had them discussing the future of Hyrule or political matters and themselves resembling their regions, they only saw each other every month or whenever called upon. It didn’t matter the distance between them as they sent correspondence letters to fill in the gaps. 

Revali has gotten used to their trademark personalities that shone through their letters, ashy fingerprints by Daruk, the slightly wrinkled paper of water from Mipha and perfumes that belonged to Urbosa and Zelda. The ones he waited for the most were Link’s, sword oil staining it and the scribbles of his handwriting and even if it was long distance now, their relationship was still continuing, furthering. 

He keeps all of his letters, stowed away in his cabin as he pulls his weight around the community. Often he spent some days up in Vah Medoh, talking to her and some days she crowed back to him. 

Link was often unavailable attending to the king and the princess. He wondered how Mipha felt because it did suck to not be able to at least see your significant other when you wanted to.

So naturally, he had to abduct Link one day. He sends a letter so that Link can at least expect him but doesn’t wait for a reply because he’s already flying to him, whether he wanted him or not.

It’s nighttime when he comes sailing through his window. 

Link who had been snoozing in his bed, bolts up, hand already unsheathing his sword. His eyes adjust to the moonbeams and he switches on his bed light lamp.

“Calm down it’s just me.” Revali had packed enough for a nighttime snack session for both of them since Link was scrawny as ever. “Come on I’m taking you out.”

Links eyebrows slanted down. “But—“

“It’s your birthday Link. Let’s at least commemorate it since it may be your last one before the battle.” Link stops whatever he was going to say next and nods, shuffling on his outer shirt and boots. 

Revali knows that his hair had lost his feathers by now but he had something better as a gift and proposal.

Link didn’t really have a traditional birthday. He hadn’t really known his and Revali had instead decided they could have a joined birthday month since his was at the start they would end it with Link’s. 

Taking his sword with him because he still didn’t have a bow, he goes on Revali's back. He doesn’t miss the bag he has around his shoulder and proded his shoulder.

“Oh, that? Well since birthdays do have food I thought a late-night picnic would be nice.”

Link perks up at the mention of food. Even late at night, there wasn’t a time Link would say no to getting a free meal. 

“I know where we can have that picnic at.”

*

It’s not a long flight because they don’t have all night, Link guiding him to a mountain. Yet, there’s a fog that surrounds them and from how Link is worried about. Revali hadn't realized how quickly that the smog had seeped in and he looks around, eyes darting.

“I come here often because there’s a great big cherry blossom tree, it isn’t usually foggy like this.” They both walk around until Link grabs his arm and pulls them both down. Revali had shut his mouth in time so he doesn’t get a mouthful of dirt and grimaces because the things in his bag can be squashed.

“What? Are there monsters?” 

Link shakes his head and signs ‘spirit’ and then Revali sees the spiritual bunnies that are hopping around in puddles. All of them mystically radiated light, little lamps in the dusk. They’re all gathered around a pond underneath the blossoming tree, the moon above them and Revali notices that the fog had been lifted as if it had never been there before.

“Zelda had told me that there had been a legend on these mountains. Those creatures are Blupees. They have a face of an owl and a body of a rabbit. Don’t know about their horns, looks kinda like a laurel, doesn’t it?” One of them looks towards them before poofing away. “If you shoot at them they drop rupees.”

“Don’t tell me you shot arrows at them,” Revali groans and Link only shrugs at him. “That’s animal cruelty Link.”

“They’re spirits not animals and it doesn’t hurt them, just spooks them.” 

While they whisper argue it’s then that they both see a larger creature coming through. It has a body of a horse but somehow stretched out of a Blupee and looking at it was so surreal. It was as if Hylia has created the thing and hadn’t thought that it was a good idea to make it sentient. 

“The Lord of the Mountain. Only people who are lucky get to see it, so they say,” Link says to him as it walks off and all the Blupees go with it.

“Well, we need all the luckiness we can get Hylia keep them coming,” Revali gets up as they’re alone now.

Setting up a lantern, they would dine by candlelight with foods he had brought back from Rito. Most (all) of the food had been from Gale, cakes and dishes that made Link yearn for his other home. They share between the food and friendly enough banter; Link had told him that the soldiers had apologized to him that had Revali somewhat skeptical.

“If it makes you feel better, they fear for their lives every time you come by.” That had Revali smiling as they talked about home and for the night it was them under the moonlight.

"I would race you to the top of the tree but since you have wings…" Link says and Revali sees how he’s eyeing the tree branches.

Taking them up above, they seat themselves on a branch. Link puts the lamp on a branch by them as from this high up, they can see the towers of Hyrule that is illuminated by so many lights and further out the places they had been to. All of this had become their home and Revali had found himself liking some parts of Hyrule that wasn’t Rito.

Link goes closer to him despite that it’s warm tonight and Revali lets him be. 

“I got you some things.” Revali takes out the parcels that he had diligently wrapped and Link takes it from them.

“You really didn’t need to,” Link chastises him. 

Revali ignores him because his bouncing in place betrayed that. From how much he was jiggling their branch, they would both capsize in the water under them. Even if it was his birthday, this year would be different because…

“You’re my intended, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t get you anything? A poor one if I didn’t.” 

Which in fact Revali was, his savings very much emptied from how much he had put into just this night. It had been worth it because he didn’t know when he would have another chance like this again.

Link flushes a pretty color before he unwraps the gifts. He starts with the bigger one because he has a feeling the smaller one is something more important if he’s thinking of what it may be. Inside it, is his headdress that had been repaired but replaced with Revali’s feathers. Link doesn’t even have to ask as Revali helps him braid his hair through it before clipping it behind his ears. Revali chides in disparity at how his hair is but it was just another way of showing his roundabout affection.

The fire rubies kept his ears comfortably warm and Link sighs because he had missed having them, the warmth that kept him toasty even high up. One gift would have been enough but he rips into the other one. Revali doesn’t say much because this was the one he has spent the most time on. Opening it he sees blue earrings and a hairband that seemed to glow and Revali is nervous because he had squandered all of his bank on those.

Zora charged a lot for their luminescent jewels but they had to be quality ones for what he needed. 

The wooden earrings that Link owned were more like placeholders and he took them, to fit in the new ones he had been given. The elastic he puts on his wrist and clinches the adjustable ring on his ponytail. He says his thanks to Revali, kissing him soundly, locking their fingers together and Link can taste the sugared berries from the cake left on his beak.

“Happy seventeenth birthday, Link. Maybe in a few more years, you’ll get taller.” 

Link pushes him off the tree laughing at Revali’s screech before jumping down to splash him. Coyly, he offers a kiss that Revali grumpily takes because he didn’t kinda deserve that one burn he couldn’t help it since Link was as short as the princess. Link leans further to him, Revali cornered by his back on the tree as Link pulls himself forward on his hands. 

“And yes I accept being your intended, your proposal. Rito customs and all.” Revali is speechless and Link laughs. 

Hugging him and pressing a wet kiss to his feathers he stands up, shaking the water off him. Revali being an opportunist trips him and Link goes face-first into the pond, spitting out pond water. 

“Serves you right for pushing me out of a tree.”

“It’s my birthday though.” Link says because it is and Revali pushes him down in the water. 

Revali really was helplessly in love with him because in the moonlight, with flower buds stuck in his hair and his earrings luminous and as wet as a dog, he’s infuriatingly attractive while Revali feels like a water sock. 

To feel better about himself he splashed some water on him with his wing. Link laughs harder.

“Oh shut up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is when the war happens :)


End file.
